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bootsmom3'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Drug use, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
cweeks_ng'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
3.25
Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content
hmih's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Xenophobia, Racism, Sexism, Colonisation, Misogyny, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Classism, Violence, and Hate crime
Minor: Police brutality
kathshiroma'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
4.5
Graphic: Stalking, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Bullying, Violence, and Sexual violence
Minor: Body shaming, Colonisation, Outing, and Deportation
gomhearts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
at first, i thought i knew what the book would be about: ingrid coming to terms with her asian identity and the internal racism she harbored in her childhood would manifest into her phd dissertation while researching poet xiao-wen chou.
oh my god i was so wrong.
i started to make hypotheses of what would happen next and each time i was debunked. i was in awe by how the book made you feel defenseless. as someone well-versed in the asian-american diaspora and reading about someone who was just so... anti-asian-american, i felt so frustrated with ingrid but wouldn't put the book down since i was determined to see it through that she changes in the end.
did she change?
i don't really know. and i think she's lying to us all.
the book is satirical. it's so hyperbolic i can't even tell what's meant to be taken seriously. are we supposed to take the poc caucus protest seriously? what about her saviorism when it comes to timothy - and why didn't she do anything about it in the first place? is michael supposed to stand in as a metaphor for asian-using-online-propaganda-brain-rot? and how about alex's detachment from the blond, white woman who he only viewed as a symbol for sex. yet another glorification of the white woman as she can come and go as she pleases. vivian was maybe the most authentic character yet. i never hated her. i actually think i may have hated ingrid even though i understood what she was going through.
as i was writing this review, i went from believing this book hailed a 5-star rating to a 3.75. and i wanted to talk about that. from a book that i believe is supposed to speak about asian-american model minority myths and how these stereotypes are perpetuated in modern life, the exaggeration from Vivian's broadcast to Michael's sinophilic rant to John Smith's puppet-playing facade... felt almost backfiring to me.
i cried a lot during this book. and at its peak, i recognize that it's GREAT fiction. very well-written, humorous when needed, personal, and do touch on many aspects of an asian-american's upbringing. however, the feeling i get after reading is synonymous to dread and confusion. what do i feel about ingrid? should i be happy for her? because honestly i'm not. about eunice? about stephen's performative activism? (not to mention, but hello - why was it never addressed that he keeps those raunchy photos AND the recent search history??? ingrid, why didn't you go for it???) anyways.
after reflection, this book gets a 5 in its provocation. but in the aftermath of how i feel, i have to go to a 3.75 for it (with sadness).
Minor: Colonisation, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
storielore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Gaslighting, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Suicide attempt, Ableism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Stalking and Sexual content
olive_lol'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs
Minor: Sexual content, Cursing, and Suicide attempt
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
the book
sheds light on many under- or not-as-deftly explored issues like social justice discourses while also being aware of intersectionality. my fav thing abt it is prolly how chou's satire is also chillingly realistic, humorous is its uncomfortable truths of how minorities grapple w/ them and how far the reach of yts are both in personal relationships and larger institutions.
many of the plot points are predictable, however, and what bothers me most is the scale of the story. tho xiao wen chou is supposedly an ubiquitous cultural force as america's asian american literary wet dream, the consequences/impact from revelations related to him are befuddlingly small, confined to merely a campus and city level where things play out, tho in fact it shouldve been explosive on a national level.
overall, def recommend for truth dropping and enjoyable satire, if one could withhold disbelief abt the story's scale.
Graphic: Racism, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Cultural appropriation
Moderate: Violence, Sexual content, and Racial slurs
annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
the courtroom tableau was brilliantly executed, definitely my favorite part
the plot summary was so fucking promising, but i found the writing to be lacking. i feel like it addressed its heavy topics through regurgitations of already finished conversations, rather than playing out those conversations in real time, if that makes sense. i know it's supposed to be absurdist, but the plot was just off the rails at times. Vivian's character development was very good though, shout out to that. also, the audiobook narration was very bland
cover review: ★★★★½. the illustration is gorgeous, just not a fan of either the typeface or the color of the title and author's name
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Cultural appropriation, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Alcohol, Rape, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Infidelity
Minor: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Ableism, Terminal illness, Vomit, Death, Drug abuse, Cancer, Homophobia, Mental illness, Cursing, Blood, Drug use, Outing, and Islamophobia
sydstuck33'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
4.0
Graphic: Racism and Sexual content