A review by rarasreads
The Night Parade by Jami Nakamura Lin

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

I was excited to read this memoir since it has been compared to the likes of Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House. Here, Lin shares her emotional journey through her mental illness diagnosis, pregnancy, and largely, the death of her father. I appreciated her vulnerability and the stories she captured on all the different yokai with their accompanying illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. Yet, I found many of the parallels that Lin attempts to draw between her experiences, particularly her grieving process and the folklore very fragmented. Each time I read a piece of her personal narrative, the story would abruptly transition to a specific myth, disconnecting and disrupting the flow.

Overall, this book read more like a personal stream of consciousness that lacked chronological order. I, personally, do not find such writing style engaging or enjoyable but I recognize that this reflects the true inner workings of the author's mind. Others may still find it to their liking as some parts were certainly informative!
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