A review by jackieeejw
Tropic of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita

fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Tropic of Orange, the off the wall surreal slice-of-life that succeeded in the monumentous task of getting me to care about LA. I bought it for the blurb, which sounded completely insane, but it still managed to catch me off guard after lulling me into a false sense of normalcy in the beginning. Over the course of the novel it progresses from its slice of life intertwining 7 person character drama (which is pretty easy to follow given the constantly shifting perspectives) into a frenetic surreal apocalyptic climax that basically turns to beat poetry in its last third. I think the plot is sometimes lost in these grand, free verse diatribes, and i can imagine it being polarising, but it’s so electrifying that I couldn’t help but love it.
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