A review by cinderellasbookshelf
A Thousand Miles to Graceland by Kristen Mei Chase

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A story featuring an Asian American mother and daughter going on a road trip to Graceland - sign me up!

The book had heavier themes than I expected going in, but I appreciated the story and its focus on Grace and her complicated relationship with her Elvis-obsessed mother, Loralynn. From an initial standpoint, the two women are vastly different and you believe that is the crux of their relationship. Loralynn is outgoing and zany, preferring to wear bouffant wigs and sequins emulating Elvis’s spirit and that era, whereas Grace prefers a safe and simpler livelihood much different than her mother’s. As the story progresses however, you begin to learn that there is a painful past that still affects both women. They each have handled it differently, but throughout this literal journey to confront their shared traumas, I found Grace’s growth into coming to terms with her childhood, and slowly learning more about her mother and accepting her as she is, raw and real. This felt like a personal story and it didn’t hold back in showing how difficult it was to heal from old wounds and the work it takes to rebuild that relationship between a daughter and her mother.

The road trip was a great setting for this story. I liked the unique places they visited as well as some of the stopovers from El Paso to Memphis. My favorite was when they got stuck in Louisiana and met a father and daughter, who were almost a reflection of Grace and Loralynn once they confronted their problems. I kind of wanted more Elvis references (as if this book didn’t have enough), but after reading, I now want to visit Tupelo and see Elvis’s house and the diner he frequented, along with Graceland, of course.
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