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A review by ashandtheink
A Quitter's Paradise by Elysha Chang
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book does so many things well.
It’s tender, pensive, and deeply human. Elysha Chang has such a beautiful writing style. I was completely enamored with the first quarter of this book. I wrote down many quotes from the book that I think deftly expressed the incapacitating, existential confusion of grief.
I was pleasantly surprised when the book began to delve into perspectives of other family members and explored the winding, tangled paths that led the family to where they are in the present.
However, the pacing began to drag about halfway through, and the varying perspectives of other family members began to feel flat and stagnant. While that certainly is an element of grief and generational trauma the author may have hoped to mirror in her portrayal, I had hoped for more meaning-making for the character, a clear character arc.
That being said, I would absolutely read Elysha Chang’s next book should she choose to write another.
It’s tender, pensive, and deeply human. Elysha Chang has such a beautiful writing style. I was completely enamored with the first quarter of this book. I wrote down many quotes from the book that I think deftly expressed the incapacitating, existential confusion of grief.
I was pleasantly surprised when the book began to delve into perspectives of other family members and explored the winding, tangled paths that led the family to where they are in the present.
However, the pacing began to drag about halfway through, and the varying perspectives of other family members began to feel flat and stagnant. While that certainly is an element of grief and generational trauma the author may have hoped to mirror in her portrayal, I had hoped for more meaning-making for the character, a clear character arc.
That being said, I would absolutely read Elysha Chang’s next book should she choose to write another.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion