nordstina 's review for:

A Quitter's Paradise by Elysha Chang

2.25

dark sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A Quitter's Paradise is a debut novel by Elysha Chang that is charting dual storylines. In the present, Eleanor has dropped out of her graduate school program and has pivoted to working as an assistant in her husband's lab while still performing some experiments on the side. To put it mildly, she is making some poor decisions that have consequences in both her personal and professional life. The other storyline is about her mother Rita and father Jing and their history together. They immigrate to the US and sell goods from Taiwan. They have two daughters- Narissa and Eleanor who are quite different. Eleanor's relationship to her mother is interesting, and one can pick apart the threads of why each woman makes certain decisions. Chang is a talented writer and the themes in this book are intriguing, but I found it to be disjointed and had a difficult time following where she was going in the end. This would not dissuade me from reading what she write next.

Thank you to Zando Projects via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.