A review by potatokao
Severance by Ling Ma

slow-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? N/A

4.5

the writing was beautiful and illustrative. i underlined in every chapter a sentence i needed to read. the back n forth between past and present was seamless, like a rocking chair. (rating especially writing over plot)

my original expectation was simply “zombie novel,” that’s all i had really heard. because of that, i felt the book was slow paced as i was waiting for adventure to happen. 

however, once i realized what the book was about, i wept. her identity, her relationships, her family. i didnt expect to cry but her relationship with her mother was everything to me and i want to know more. i want to hear candace’s active voice on who she is, who she is in relation to her mother
, and who she will become as a mother.
even her tender moments with her father had me in pain.

candace is a passive character stuck on routine but i want nothing more than her to actively participate. if not now, then when. 

there were moments where i felt underwhelmed from how passive candace was but i understand this is who she is. i wish she’ll grow more from here, away from our gaze. 
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