A review by youshouldreadthisif
After the Dragons by Cynthia Zhang

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 This novella was my January Wildcard pick and is one of the most successful novellas I’ve read this year. I do think that expectations are key to enjoying this book, especially with the dragons. If you’re coming into the story expecting the dragons to be huge and awesome and epic, well, you’re butting up against one of Zhang’s priorities: to situate dragons firmly in an Asian context. These dragons are more like stray cats than the fire-breathing menaces or European mythology. 

 

Further, it’s very character-driven, with minimal plot and big slice-of-life vibes. The (potential) plot points that do exist - a cure for shaolong, dragon research, the climate issues - are not resolved. Even the tangled, sweet relationship that slowly develops between Kai and Eli ends on a HFN. Because the resolution of these conflicts is not the point here. AtD, to me, is about  the strength it takes to imagine - and work - for a better future in the face of what feels like insurmountable futility. The book is full of Big Anxieties, systemic and personal, but, ultimately, the characters decide to continue doing what they can to take care of themselves, each other, and the broken world they live in. 

 

While I loved pretty much everything about this book, I particularly enjoyed watching Kai and Eli pick their way through the thorny tangle of their relationship. Watching Eli learn how to care for someone with a terminal illness, in the face of his own grief and guilt about his grandmother, while Kai learns to allow himself to be taken care of for once hit me in the feels big time. 

 

There’s so much I could (and want to!) say about this quiet, lovely, introspective book of our time.