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A review by nerdese
Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang
3.0
3.5/5
This was definitely an interesting read, and not exactly what I expected. These stories had a very distinctive voice -- it didn't surprise me that this was published by an imprint helmed by Lena Dunham. It has that wordy, millennial feel. Long rambling paragraphs of description, but it sort of worked for me? I stalled out a bit given the length of these stories. I know now that I tend to connect better with shorter stories (for example, last year's What It Means When A Man falls From The Sky.) But Zhang clearly has a confident voice, and I loved the cohesion, how all the stories had these intermingling threads of family struggle and the new immigrant experience. The stories were dirty, some were even a bit gross, but they all had some form of painful truth to them. I know this collection definitely won't be for everyone, but Zhang's is an exciting voice. I'd love to read a novel from her.
This was definitely an interesting read, and not exactly what I expected. These stories had a very distinctive voice -- it didn't surprise me that this was published by an imprint helmed by Lena Dunham. It has that wordy, millennial feel. Long rambling paragraphs of description, but it sort of worked for me? I stalled out a bit given the length of these stories. I know now that I tend to connect better with shorter stories (for example, last year's What It Means When A Man falls From The Sky.) But Zhang clearly has a confident voice, and I loved the cohesion, how all the stories had these intermingling threads of family struggle and the new immigrant experience. The stories were dirty, some were even a bit gross, but they all had some form of painful truth to them. I know this collection definitely won't be for everyone, but Zhang's is an exciting voice. I'd love to read a novel from her.