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A review by kghunter
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a really quick, easy, fun read! The characters are so sweet and silly and initially as I read the book’s introduction to the main character I was pleasantly struck by the authors ability to quickly switch between writing that was genuinely funny and writing that tugged at my heart strings. The main reasons I am not giving a higher rating is because of the book’s predictability, the lack of efficiency character description, and the lack of character complexity.
In my opinion the book was very predictable, to the point that I had already correctly guessed the ending early in the story. This may have been intentional on behalf of the author because it’s not supposed to be a hard hitting thriller/mystery IMO, but a light hearted story about the beauty and joys of connecting with people from different walks of life, that was guided by an interesting “murder mystery” plot. I just wouldn’t read this if you are someone who is explicitly looking for an earnest thriller mystery novel.
Additionally I found the character development to be lacking in multiple ways. First, the character description was abysmal. Sutanto constantly reiterates the race of the characters she’s introducing which initially I found refreshing especially since she made a point to make the story racially diverse. But soon after I was slightly disappointed that there was no further description, literally all I know is that one character has brown eyes, one has a perm, and one has blonde hair. I know that detailed character physical description isn’t necessary but it seemed odd to me that Sutanto constantly reiterates everyone’s race as if that is the perfect all encompassing descriptor, when in reality it gives the reader practically nothing. When I read a story, especially one like this that is almost completely character interaction/dialogue, I find it difficult to be truly immersed in the world when I can’t envision the characters, and just giving someone’s race is like the broadest possible thing you could say about their physicality. And the author is clearly so very talented, I think her descriptions of other aspects of the story such as the tea really shown a light on her abilities so I just found myself wishing she had incorporated that a bit more into her character descriptions.
Second,I felt like the author relied too heavily on the trope of the one evil villain guy that ruins everyone’s life because he is truly 100% just evil and irredeemable and everyone else is just a victim that had good intentions and a heart as pure as snow. It just felt unrealistic and kept me from feeling truly emotionally connected to the story in a way that I wanted to because the characters and story are magnificent. Sutanto is clearly a phenomenal storyteller and I found myself desperately wanting to know more about the characters. She does such a magnificent job of making the characters likable but I honestly found them less enjoyable and relatable when their nuance and humanness was stripped by all the blame being placed on the one senseless bad guy. Aside from the main character I just found myself wanting more complexity from the secondary characters since the story is almost completely character interaction and dialogue.
I loved the stories insight into the heart and mind of an older widow who lives a fairly isolated life. I also appreciated the authors attention to our capacity to experience sweet, platonic joy in the small everyday connections we make. I breezed through this book because the main character was so quirky and lovable, I wanted to know what she would say or do or cook or brew next! I feel like Sutanto really displayed her ability to write truly messy, funny, relatable, honest characters through Vera and I am excited to see what she writes in the future because she clearly has immense amounts of talent and potential. Not to say that she isn’t already an amazing writer, but I think she has the capacity to make some truly brilliant work as her craft ages.
In my opinion the book was very predictable, to the point that I had already correctly guessed the ending early in the story. This may have been intentional on behalf of the author because it’s not supposed to be a hard hitting thriller/mystery IMO, but a light hearted story about the beauty and joys of connecting with people from different walks of life, that was guided by an interesting “murder mystery” plot. I just wouldn’t read this if you are someone who is explicitly looking for an earnest thriller mystery novel.
Additionally I found the character development to be lacking in multiple ways. First, the character description was abysmal. Sutanto constantly reiterates the race of the characters she’s introducing which initially I found refreshing especially since she made a point to make the story racially diverse. But soon after I was slightly disappointed that there was no further description, literally all I know is that one character has brown eyes, one has a perm, and one has blonde hair. I know that detailed character physical description isn’t necessary but it seemed odd to me that Sutanto constantly reiterates everyone’s race as if that is the perfect all encompassing descriptor, when in reality it gives the reader practically nothing. When I read a story, especially one like this that is almost completely character interaction/dialogue, I find it difficult to be truly immersed in the world when I can’t envision the characters, and just giving someone’s race is like the broadest possible thing you could say about their physicality. And the author is clearly so very talented, I think her descriptions of other aspects of the story such as the tea really shown a light on her abilities so I just found myself wishing she had incorporated that a bit more into her character descriptions.
Second,
I loved the stories insight into the heart and mind of an older widow who lives a fairly isolated life. I also appreciated the authors attention to our capacity to experience sweet, platonic joy in the small everyday connections we make. I breezed through this book because the main character was so quirky and lovable, I wanted to know what she would say or do or cook or brew next! I feel like Sutanto really displayed her ability to write truly messy, funny, relatable, honest characters through Vera and I am excited to see what she writes in the future because she clearly has immense amounts of talent and potential. Not to say that she isn’t already an amazing writer, but I think she has the capacity to make some truly brilliant work as her craft ages.
favorite quotes:
“Whenever Sana visited her friends homes, especially the first generation kids, she’d often find houses filled with crumbling boxes full of stuff. Mementos from their parent’s homeland, too old to use, too precious to throw away, too painful to look at. So they’re left to age gently, a reminder of everyone who was left behind.”
“In her experience it’s best to nod and agree with what people say before doing exactly what you wanted from the very beginning.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder