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A review by marinalikeaboatyard
Severance by Ling Ma
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
If you enjoyed the film “Children of Men” but wished it explored the crushing weight of the millennial and/or pandemic and/or immigrant experience, you will love this.
It’s a really simple story, heavy with telling Candace’s backstory that led her to the present. At first you wonder where it’s going, and why there’s so much exposition - but by the second half you can’t stop reading as it all begins threading together and shows the full portrait of Candace’s experience.
When I read pull quotes about how it “perfectly shows the millennial experience under capitalism”, I was like, hoookay sure Jan. But it really does perfectly encapsulate what it’s like to be part of a generation carrying so much: a world and society crumbling around us, an impossible financial future, and being trapped under the weight of capitalist (and patriarchal) institutions that demand so much of us, to the point of breaking us, and expecting us to hold up an economy at the expense of our well being.
Although I‘m not an immigrant, Ma also does an incredible job showing how the pressure of some immigrant experiences adds to this crushing existence. I’ll never fully understand that experience, but I’m grateful to have had a glimpse into it because it showed me an even more challenging side of the American immigrant experience that I can at least begin to understand and empathize with.
If, like me, you can’t stand fluffy beach reads but want a lighter piece of literary fiction that is substantive, thought-provoking, but still digestible and fairly quick to read, this is a perfect book. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it — especially if you are a 30-something who experienced the pandemic in a major city…
Can’t wait to read more from Ling Ma!
It’s a really simple story, heavy with telling Candace’s backstory that led her to the present. At first you wonder where it’s going, and why there’s so much exposition - but by the second half you can’t stop reading as it all begins threading together and shows the full portrait of Candace’s experience.
When I read pull quotes about how it “perfectly shows the millennial experience under capitalism”, I was like, hoookay sure Jan. But it really does perfectly encapsulate what it’s like to be part of a generation carrying so much: a world and society crumbling around us, an impossible financial future, and being trapped under the weight of capitalist (and patriarchal) institutions that demand so much of us, to the point of breaking us, and expecting us to hold up an economy at the expense of our well being.
Although I‘m not an immigrant, Ma also does an incredible job showing how the pressure of some immigrant experiences adds to this crushing existence. I’ll never fully understand that experience, but I’m grateful to have had a glimpse into it because it showed me an even more challenging side of the American immigrant experience that I can at least begin to understand and empathize with.
If, like me, you can’t stand fluffy beach reads but want a lighter piece of literary fiction that is substantive, thought-provoking, but still digestible and fairly quick to read, this is a perfect book. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it — especially if you are a 30-something who experienced the pandemic in a major city…
Can’t wait to read more from Ling Ma!