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A review by mb918
Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
2.0
I need to stop picking up these books.
It physically pains me to rate this two stars, but I just didn’t like it. Every time I open a book like this I think, “Maybe this will be the one!” It’s not. It never is. Something about a nonlinear story made up of 90% flashbacks/memories and 10% plot is just not my style. I have got to stop reading generational family dramas, even if they have a slightly intriguing hook.
Despite wanting some more plot than just whatever the hell happened in the last thirty pages, I will be the first to readily admit that the writing is GORGEOUS. Specifically in the daughter’s chapters, Chang writes with such deliberate word choice to weave the most stunning descriptions of human mundanity I’ve ever read. That being said, I feel like this wasn’t a novel. Each chapter felt like it’s own long-form prose poem rather than chapters contributing to a larger work. Not to mention there were so many metaphors and flowery comparisons that at times I had trouble differentiating which parts were extended metaphor and which were actual instances of unreal fantasy.
ALSO I have never in my life read a book that talked about piss so much. Every other page someone was wetting the bed, peeing their pants, comparing their urine to some body of water, etc. I wouldn’t bother complaining if it was just mentioned a couple times, but I swear this book discusses piss AT LEAST thirty times, probably more. I literally don’t even know what to say on the matter.
It physically pains me to rate this two stars, but I just didn’t like it. Every time I open a book like this I think, “Maybe this will be the one!” It’s not. It never is. Something about a nonlinear story made up of 90% flashbacks/memories and 10% plot is just not my style. I have got to stop reading generational family dramas, even if they have a slightly intriguing hook.
Despite wanting some more plot than just whatever the hell happened in the last thirty pages, I will be the first to readily admit that the writing is GORGEOUS. Specifically in the daughter’s chapters, Chang writes with such deliberate word choice to weave the most stunning descriptions of human mundanity I’ve ever read. That being said, I feel like this wasn’t a novel. Each chapter felt like it’s own long-form prose poem rather than chapters contributing to a larger work. Not to mention there were so many metaphors and flowery comparisons that at times I had trouble differentiating which parts were extended metaphor and which were actual instances of unreal fantasy.
ALSO I have never in my life read a book that talked about piss so much. Every other page someone was wetting the bed, peeing their pants, comparing their urine to some body of water, etc. I wouldn’t bother complaining if it was just mentioned a couple times, but I swear this book discusses piss AT LEAST thirty times, probably more. I literally don’t even know what to say on the matter.