A review by liteartha
Small Beauty by Jia Qing Wilson-Yang

emotional reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

after her cousin and closest friend sandy dies unexpectedly, mei leaves her life in toronto to stay in the rural cabin he left her. there, with little company aside from her cousin's dog, a wild goose that she feeds, and the occasional phone call, mei spends her time slowly digging through the many boxes of family history left behind by the former occupants of the home — her cousin, aunt, and grandmother — and sitting with her own reflections and memories

this is a short, quiet novel. a meditation on grief, anger, family history, and queerness. mei is a chinese-canadian trans woman and reflects a lot throughout on the intersections of her identities and her immigrant family history. it's deeply sad and painful at times, but there's humour and a refreshing prose style i can't quite put my finger on but did like a lot. the story is told in a very non-linear fashion, details of mei's life as well as of her aunt's and cousin's slowly coming together in a rather patchwork style, with a few chapters outside of mei's own pov towards the end to really round things out for the reader

i did find the pacing towards the end got a little quick for my tastes, but i really enjoyed this overall and would recommend it highly
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