Scan barcode
A review by theeuphoriczat
Love and Other Moods by Crystal Z. Lee
4.0
This is a coming of age story set in contemporary China. It follows seven people, 3 relationships and multiple generations as they navigate life, love, heartbreak and love.
There are so many angles I could take this review especially because I loved the story so much but I want to focus on how self-aware and reflective the author was. Sure in the book it plays out as Naomi who uproots her life to move to Shanghai to get married and start a new life only for her to find him cheating on her. Refusing to return home in shame, she decides to build a new life in Shanghai with the aid of her socialite friend Joss who has just gotten married. Joss is being pressured by Tay's (husband) parents to have a child. Then we have Jinsung and Zhangjie who are the older couple, they are finding it hard to adapt to the constantly changing city.
Loved the discussion on the China One-child policy and how that affected gender demographics. Also, the trauma women faced from having abortions of female foetuses. I loved the way culture and customs are highlighted, especially that of people in mainland China and places like Hong Kong.
Overall its a great book on relationships, identity, self-discovery and communication.
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, infertility, abortions, war, sexual slavery and miscarriages.
Thanks to Colored Pages Blog Tours for making this book available to me.
There are so many angles I could take this review especially because I loved the story so much but I want to focus on how self-aware and reflective the author was. Sure in the book it plays out as Naomi who uproots her life to move to Shanghai to get married and start a new life only for her to find him cheating on her. Refusing to return home in shame, she decides to build a new life in Shanghai with the aid of her socialite friend Joss who has just gotten married. Joss is being pressured by Tay's (husband) parents to have a child. Then we have Jinsung and Zhangjie who are the older couple, they are finding it hard to adapt to the constantly changing city.
Loved the discussion on the China One-child policy and how that affected gender demographics. Also, the trauma women faced from having abortions of female foetuses. I loved the way culture and customs are highlighted, especially that of people in mainland China and places like Hong Kong.
Overall its a great book on relationships, identity, self-discovery and communication.
Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, infertility, abortions, war, sexual slavery and miscarriages.
Thanks to Colored Pages Blog Tours for making this book available to me.