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justinkhchen's review
4.0
4 stars
A sprawling tale of epic proportion, I went into Build Your House Around My Body expecting it to be straightforward supernatural tale set in Vietnam, but in fact it is beyond any sort of conventional classification; while horror is definitely one genre it covers, it is also part historical fiction, magical realism, character study, and literary fiction. I was at first overwhelmed by its unexpected complexity, and at one point, questioning whether I should ditch the effort. But at the end of its 400 pages, I had to admit it was truly a heartfelt, haunting, and at times, grotesque experience.
Spanning more than fifty years, trauma is a pivotal theme explored in Build Your House Around My Body, an emotion not only felt by the characters, but also the country, as it went through various political turmoils. From that physical / metaphorical wound came rage and hurt, and the story dives deep into how this intangible force takes possession of people and places, making them haunted and cursed.
Told in a nonsensical, nonlinear fashion (8 days before, 14 years before, 16 days before, 3 hours before... etc.), I question if the narrative fragmentation of such extreme is necessary to an already complicating plot (spanning across at least 3 generations of characters), because I have lost track of characters along the way, and when it came to the closure tying everything together, it was more confusion than satisfaction as I couldn't recall who's who.
Build Your House Around My Body gets a cautious recommendation, because what it has accomplished is quite astounding; the Eastern attitude towards the supernatural, the history lesson, the bleak atmosphere and ghoulish imagery, and the sympathetic, but broken characters who are being led towards the path of doom. But it is also a novel that can be easily misunderstood and disregarded as boring and 'too much work' — I certainly wasn't prepared for what I was about to embark. Worth a try if you're in the mood for something substantial and unusual.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A sprawling tale of epic proportion, I went into Build Your House Around My Body expecting it to be straightforward supernatural tale set in Vietnam, but in fact it is beyond any sort of conventional classification; while horror is definitely one genre it covers, it is also part historical fiction, magical realism, character study, and literary fiction. I was at first overwhelmed by its unexpected complexity, and at one point, questioning whether I should ditch the effort. But at the end of its 400 pages, I had to admit it was truly a heartfelt, haunting, and at times, grotesque experience.
Spanning more than fifty years, trauma is a pivotal theme explored in Build Your House Around My Body, an emotion not only felt by the characters, but also the country, as it went through various political turmoils. From that physical / metaphorical wound came rage and hurt, and the story dives deep into how this intangible force takes possession of people and places, making them haunted and cursed.
Told in a nonsensical, nonlinear fashion (8 days before, 14 years before, 16 days before, 3 hours before... etc.), I question if the narrative fragmentation of such extreme is necessary to an already complicating plot (spanning across at least 3 generations of characters), because I have lost track of characters along the way, and when it came to the closure tying everything together, it was more confusion than satisfaction as I couldn't recall who's who.
Build Your House Around My Body gets a cautious recommendation, because what it has accomplished is quite astounding; the Eastern attitude towards the supernatural, the history lesson, the bleak atmosphere and ghoulish imagery, and the sympathetic, but broken characters who are being led towards the path of doom. But it is also a novel that can be easily misunderstood and disregarded as boring and 'too much work' — I certainly wasn't prepared for what I was about to embark. Worth a try if you're in the mood for something substantial and unusual.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
zorawitchin's review
3.0
Didn’t grab me. I think on a reread I would appreciate it more, but I didn’t feel like rereading.
hiitsmecassie's review
5.0
this books soooo good like the best i’ve read all year so far it’s so cool when you start to match up everything
linhsreadinghour's review against another edition
I’m so sad I couldn’t finish the book because it is part of my Vietnamese book series on my booktok. I really wanted to like this but I just think it wasn’t my cup of the tea. I just didn’t care for any of the characters, I was confused, there’s a lot of time hopping but it just didn’t engage me. I don’t really know what the book is about other than some weird magical realism, horror thing going on, and they all link in some way. But it just wasn’t enough or for me.
connkn29's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
katharim's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
pa_8213's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thebobsphere's review against another edition
5.0
Violet Kupersmith’s debut novel, Build Your House Around My Body has a lot of aspects which I gravitate to in a novel. The main one is a plot which consists of different characters and then are joined together by little clues until a full story forms. Thus, the novel becomes a sort puzzle.
The main protagonist of the novel is Winnie, a half States/Vietnamese who decides to move to her mother country to teach English. She soon discovers that the job is not really her thing and experimenting with different houses, partners and lifestyles in order to discover herself.
The plot consists of different elements; a missing rich girl, a French/Vietnamese man who has an unusual talent, a rubber plantation yard, a Frenchman with seven toes, a policeman and snakes, and that is just a small taste of the bizarre characters and situations found in this novel.
What makes Build Your House Around My Body such a fascinating story is that it mutates and changes shape. In some chapters there’s pure horror, some read like a Roald Dahl short story, others give a historical insight to what Vietnam went through from the colonisers to it’s urbanisation. Ultimately I saw the story as a metaphor for women breaking free from the patriarchy and surging ahead. This is especially seen in the novel’s last third. This book pushes boundaries and yet has flowing prose.
Surprising , shocking , playful and never ever predictable Build Your House Around My Body is a fantastic novel that is daring in every single way. This book challenges the reader with it’s twists and turns and at the same time asks the reader to notice the details which link up the different chapters. It also serves as a cautionary to those who violate certain rights (or rites for that matter). I will guarantee that you will come out a changed person. A tall order but with this book, definitely possible.
The main protagonist of the novel is Winnie, a half States/Vietnamese who decides to move to her mother country to teach English. She soon discovers that the job is not really her thing and experimenting with different houses, partners and lifestyles in order to discover herself.
The plot consists of different elements; a missing rich girl, a French/Vietnamese man who has an unusual talent, a rubber plantation yard, a Frenchman with seven toes, a policeman and snakes, and that is just a small taste of the bizarre characters and situations found in this novel.
What makes Build Your House Around My Body such a fascinating story is that it mutates and changes shape. In some chapters there’s pure horror, some read like a Roald Dahl short story, others give a historical insight to what Vietnam went through from the colonisers to it’s urbanisation. Ultimately I saw the story as a metaphor for women breaking free from the patriarchy and surging ahead. This is especially seen in the novel’s last third. This book pushes boundaries and yet has flowing prose.
Surprising , shocking , playful and never ever predictable Build Your House Around My Body is a fantastic novel that is daring in every single way. This book challenges the reader with it’s twists and turns and at the same time asks the reader to notice the details which link up the different chapters. It also serves as a cautionary to those who violate certain rights (or rites for that matter). I will guarantee that you will come out a changed person. A tall order but with this book, definitely possible.