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rice_cooker's review
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Gore, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Racism, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Grief, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Murder, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Body shaming, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
caroisreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Our narrator is a Chinese-American daughter of immigrants, two pianists who escaped the Cultural Revolution. She's absorbed their passion for the instrument and art, and rises as a talented young prodigy, enduring bullying for being praised, different, and poor. After tragedy, she has to give up piano for odd jobs to survive, and finds herself working in retail at Holistik, a beauty shop that feels surreal with its elite clientele, innovative services and beautiful staff of women. As she literally drinks the Kool-aid, she mentally and physically becomes the same brand of beauty, at a huge cost.
This is a disturbing story, a little too real in its descriptions of an unrelenting capitalist society, with beauty and youth reserved only for the 1%, and a dismissive eye toward the basic healthcare and wellness of the lower and middle class. It sarcastically mimics the marketing extremes of what it means to be "organic" and "zero waste" to the point of nauseating realism. It serves up, very simply, the erasure of ethnic beauty and backgrounds in favor of a homogenous Nordic-type everygirl. It shows us nature's brutality and retaliation when man tries to bend it to his will. It explores the relationship between art and pain, and the sacrifice of self for something to be considered beautiful.
This is a must-read, for a reality check on many of the rights we see ourselves being stripped of, and issues our society are grappling with today. Definitely check the content warnings.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Vomit, Fatphobia, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Gore, Racism, Body shaming, Xenophobia, Animal death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Bullying, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
aleesquer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Classism, Child abuse, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Car accident, Drug use, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
crispypages's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, Misogyny, and Medical trauma
irenemarie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Body horror, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Body shaming, and Death
Moderate: Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Infertility, Rape, Racism, Murder, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, and Drug use
Minor: Car accident, Eating disorder, Blood, and Vomit
kaitlinlovesbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Murder and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
embringaling's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Gore, Car accident, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Violence, Cannibalism, Body shaming, Body horror, Sexual content, Murder, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
edhyndman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Cannibalism, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Body horror, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Vomit
renicula's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual content, Murder, and Sexual violence
Minor: Trafficking, Pregnancy, and Cannibalism
jaymebeetus's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Medical trauma, Classism, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Body horror, Trafficking, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Bullying, Drug use, Car accident, Cannibalism, and Dysphoria