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A review by marisreadsagain
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
What a stunning debut! These Violent Delights was an intricate portrait of an evolving Shanghai, the mounting political upheavals of the early 1900s, and the struggle between old vs. new.
I don’t think the book was perfect by any means — it has a handful of scenes that dragged and a whole lot of exposition — but as a whole, Chloe Gong did a great job with her debut novel. I loved the social commentary, the dynamic and distinctive characters, and the Easter eggs that Gong wove throughout that called back to the original play. I actually didn’t mind that the romance wasn’t at the forefront of the story (although it did help that I wasn’t expecting a lot of it to begin with, courtesy of friends who had read it before me) and Gong instead chose to focus on other strong thematic elements. The insight on familial loyalty was really notable.
If you come into this read knowing that there won’t be a lot of romance and that it’s a bit of a slow burn, I think the reading experience is better! I just really loved the whole world that was built, even if it did mean an ambling plot and a softer romantic undertone.
I don’t think the book was perfect by any means — it has a handful of scenes that dragged and a whole lot of exposition — but as a whole, Chloe Gong did a great job with her debut novel. I loved the social commentary, the dynamic and distinctive characters, and the Easter eggs that Gong wove throughout that called back to the original play. I actually didn’t mind that the romance wasn’t at the forefront of the story (although it did help that I wasn’t expecting a lot of it to begin with, courtesy of friends who had read it before me) and Gong instead chose to focus on other strong thematic elements. The insight on familial loyalty was really notable.
If you come into this read knowing that there won’t be a lot of romance and that it’s a bit of a slow burn, I think the reading experience is better! I just really loved the whole world that was built, even if it did mean an ambling plot and a softer romantic undertone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Torture