A review by klor
Bliss Montage by Ling Ma

adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Compilations are often hit or miss for me but there's something so whimsical and earnest in most of the stories that are spread throughout this book. It doesn't make sense and yet it grabs your attention and you feel for it. More than once, I can see myself relating to one or more characters of the stories. My favorites were Oranges (and how life is still complicated after your abuse, knowing your abuser is still doing the same thing to other people), G (and the complicated relationships you can have with your best friend who might hate you, how growing up in an immigrant family affects how you make and perceive friends), and Peking Duck (and how more often than not, the ways we try to make sense of our parents makes us understand them less). I found the rest of the stories a bit lacking towards the end but that was probably the point of a lot of them. Relarionships are complicated and messy like these stories, added with a rich background and diversity, even more so.
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