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A review by katsbooks
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
challenging
emotional
tense
- 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
“What he wanted now was what he already had: his hard-earned plot of life, tilled daily with diligence and dignity. His family. His home. His job.”
“But she held tight to all her principles, and the most important of these was that family came first.”
You guys. I've been SLEEPING on this book. I bought this book years ago on a bookseller recommendation at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis. I'm so glad I finally read it. It might be one of my favorites for the year. Just goes to show that you should always trust indie bookseller recommendations! It was also an entirely happy accident that I read it during AAPI Heritage Month.
This story is a fictionalized retelling of the murder of Latasha Harlins during the LA Riots. It's told from both the Korean-American and the African-American perspectives. So often, books with themes or commentary on race in the United States focus on Black and White. I really appreciated seeing the nuance of relations between Asian-Americans and Black Americans during such a fraught time period in Los Angeles. I'd heard the story of Latasha Harlins before but never looked much into it. When discussing the riots, most people solely focus on Rodney King (for good reason).
I don't often read literary fiction but I found myself wanting to come back to this on several occasions. I even found myself sitting in my car listening to another chapter instead of going into work one morning. The story was compelling and beautifully told. I expected more closure at the end but, since it was based on a real story, it made sense that it wouldn't have the wrap up that other fiction would have. I would highly recommend this to literally anyone.
“But she held tight to all her principles, and the most important of these was that family came first.”
You guys. I've been SLEEPING on this book. I bought this book years ago on a bookseller recommendation at an indie bookstore in Minneapolis. I'm so glad I finally read it. It might be one of my favorites for the year. Just goes to show that you should always trust indie bookseller recommendations! It was also an entirely happy accident that I read it during AAPI Heritage Month.
This story is a fictionalized retelling of the murder of Latasha Harlins during the LA Riots. It's told from both the Korean-American and the African-American perspectives. So often, books with themes or commentary on race in the United States focus on Black and White. I really appreciated seeing the nuance of relations between Asian-Americans and Black Americans during such a fraught time period in Los Angeles. I'd heard the story of Latasha Harlins before but never looked much into it. When discussing the riots, most people solely focus on Rodney King (for good reason).
I don't often read literary fiction but I found myself wanting to come back to this on several occasions. I even found myself sitting in my car listening to another chapter instead of going into work one morning. The story was compelling and beautifully told. I expected more closure at the end but, since it was based on a real story, it made sense that it wouldn't have the wrap up that other fiction would have. I would highly recommend this to literally anyone.