badmom 's review for:

Real Americans by Rachel Khong

3.25

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A lot of the writing contains lovely prose and the plot pieces (particularly one character’s youth spent in Maoist China) are interesting, but so much of the novel is uneven - particularly the construction (multiple points of view with awkward transitions) and emotional resonance. 
Despite its nearly 400 pages, there were many threads left dangling or avenues largely unexplored, unfortunately. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Minor: Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Alcohol