Scan barcode
k_meredith's review
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I struggled with the middle section of this book, but honestly, that might have been more about me than the book. All the characters are really honest and have trauma scars, and, well, two of them are teenage boys for a good chunk of the book and the frustrations of watching teenagers do teenager things is very real. The story is well crafted tho, sad and dense, with so many complicated layers of life. Overall, the story of this family went unexpected places, and I super didn’t see the end coming. though some simple math should have screamed ‘Katrina’ at me . As the child of a Vietnam vet, it’s really easy to think I know about the Vietnam war. But seeing it through the eyes of refugees, refugees who ended up choosing a flawed US as home and then having their lives turned upside down all over again was a whole other thing. It’s such a sad book that I have trouble calling it a beautiful story, but I don’t know how else to phrase it. Just go read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Xenophobia
Minor: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
More...