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sophiestbr 's review for:
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Chinese Parents Don’t Say I Love You is a multi-faceted story of love, family, identity, culture and belonging, all through the lens of food. What I loved most about this book was how I kept forgetting this was a memoir and not a literary fiction novel. It was so beautifully and considerately written with a clear narrative woven through anecdotes and vignettes into the author’s life. Candice Chung is honest and reflective, able to find nuance and connections in even the small and seemingly mundane that tie into the greater themes of her story.
While I expected from the title and blurb for this to be focused almost entirely on the author’s relationship with her parents, it instead follows multiple different relationships, both romantic and familial. The main ones are those with her estranged parents, and the breakdown of her long-term romantic relationship with her partner. The story is not linear or straightforward, Candice Chung jumps between time and thoughts which might be a little unsettling or hard to follow for some readers, but I loved how the narrative wove together, making me as the reader connect some of the dots and reflect myself.
I would love to read anything else she publishes, whether that is nonfiction or fiction, both of which I feel she has and would excel at. I implore anyone with an interest in any of the topics listed above (love, family, identity, culture, belonging) and/or food to read this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of book! This was an honest review of my read of this ARC.
While I expected from the title and blurb for this to be focused almost entirely on the author’s relationship with her parents, it instead follows multiple different relationships, both romantic and familial. The main ones are those with her estranged parents, and the breakdown of her long-term romantic relationship with her partner. The story is not linear or straightforward, Candice Chung jumps between time and thoughts which might be a little unsettling or hard to follow for some readers, but I loved how the narrative wove together, making me as the reader connect some of the dots and reflect myself.
I would love to read anything else she publishes, whether that is nonfiction or fiction, both of which I feel she has and would excel at. I implore anyone with an interest in any of the topics listed above (love, family, identity, culture, belonging) and/or food to read this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for an ARC of book! This was an honest review of my read of this ARC.