maxgardner's reviews
366 reviews

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

challenging funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I had a lot of fun reading this, in large part because of R.F. Kuang's decision to tell the story from June's perspective. You're reading along and at first, you might feel a little pity for June when you see how much disdain she has for Athena, this successful woman who we don't yet see as the pretentious, egotistical monster June is certain she is. But Kuang also plays on the way people can be swayed and convinced to hate someone they don't actually know—you aren't sold that Athena isn't a little self-absorbed because she enjoys and celebrates her successes and is a little absent-minded about the details of June's life in spite of hearing them multiple times within several hours. Then you get to the moment the story really starts, when June has stolen the manuscript and convinces herself she's just using it as a springboard to reawaken her creativity until that narrative is settled enough that she can dig herself deeper into her delusion and convince herself she's actually changed enough of it that she should get sole credit.

From there, Kuang takes us on a rollercoaster where at every moment we're wondering when this house of cards will fall. What I found most interesting were the moments where Kuang touches on legitimate and valid questions regarding who's allowed to write what stories and what "stealing" actually is when it comes to being an artist. There are these odd moments where June brings up a point that seems potentially reasonable—for example, if she did the research, why can't she write about these Asian American soldiers in WWI? Don't artists borrow from each other all the time—why is it different if she writes a story inspired by another one? But Kuang delivers reality checks frequently, often in the form of June's increasingly desperate justifications for what she's actually done. Because ultimately, June wasn't just inspired by a story from Athena, she didn't do the research herself to set up the framework for the story. She stole Athena's work, and she doesn't have any legitimate interest in the story she's telling aside from its potential ability to establish a reputation for herself as a serious writer. This is seen in the concessions she makes to her editor, softening the racism these soldiers were subjected to as well as casting them in stereotypes. It is seen in her defensiveness against criticisms and in her shameless acceptance of speaking opportunities on panels clearly tailored to speak to the experience of being an Asian American artist. June isn't pursuing this story in good faith or with respect to the lived experiences of the people she's writing about, and that is where Kuang seems to draw a distinction.

The final act of the book is a bit farfetched, but I think Kuang ultimately pulls it off and ends on a note that feels very true to reality, unfortunately. I also enjoyed the essay included in the B&N edition where Kuang explores what it means to be Asian American, a term that attempts to encompass so many different, unique life experiences under one moniker. All in all, this book will keep you going just wanting to see how it all plays out and will absolutely get you thinking about art and how stories are told.

The Maid by Nita Prose
Did not finish book.

Did not enjoy the writing style

Exhalation by Ted Chiang

adventurous challenging funny inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

In this collection, Chiang explores how technology affects the way we value ourselves and others and can subtly shift the morals and principles we live by. I like that he focuses not just on technology as we often think of it now, post-smart phones and Black Mirror; he also examines the fantastical (a magic teleportation mirror) and the historical (the invention of writing). I think he does a good job drawing insights on the complex, messy emotions and behaviors that make us human and the way that technology doesn't change this, doesn't make us better, but simply provides new ways for us to express and reveal ourselves. My favorites are "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", "The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling", "Omphalos", and "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom".

The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka

adventurous dark funny tense fast-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed this book overall, but it was repeatedly challenging to motivate myself to pick it up. To begin with the good, I really liked the main character, Maali, and I enjoyed following his journey through the afterlife. I loved reading about his relationship with DD from its development to the struggles they faced, mostly because Maali was allergic to commitment and didn't take anything in life seriously; I also really liked Jaki and seeing her side journey. Shehan Karunatilaka did an excellent job setting up and building out the world; there was so much to take in and discover with the spirit realm that overlayed the realm of the living, and I liked that he explored through Maali's apathy and recklessness as well as the conflicts plaguing Sri Lanka the purpose of life, if there is any. I also was interested in the mystery of who killed Maali and what their motivation was; though it was a bit confusing to follow all the potential leads and threads, that question was a big impetus for pushing through to the end.

Karunatilaka's writing style is unique but a bit chaotic—it's quite wordy, and many times it feels like information overload to the point that it was challenging to keep myself rooted in a given moment in the story. Part of this is the story taking place in a setting I don't know much about, with conflicts that involve so many different parties that it took me a while to understand who belongs to what faction and what that actually means. Not only this, but we also have two layers of Sri Lanka to adjust to—the dimension with spirits that we are following present Maali's story in and the dimension of the living that it overlays, where a lot of the action is unfolding in the fallout of his death. Though the story is fairly linear, it does jump around a bit, especially between Maali talking to random spirits and recounting events from the past, and this adds a bit to the confusion and disjointedness of the reading experience. I also didn't enjoy the political and crime elements of the book as much, but that unfortunately ended up being quite a large chunk of it simply as a result of Maali being so mixed up in both. I think the "rules" of the spirit realm also got confusing toward the end as we begin with the spiritual shells of these beings being essentially non-physical to having them able to spar with each other and physically affect each other; though that didn't defy the previously established rule that they cannot physically interact with the living, it just felt strange to have Maali held at knife-point, for example, by a fellow spirit.

I also felt that because of how fast-paced the book was and maybe because of how long it felt, the moments with more emotional weight often felt abrupt and underwhelming. There are some really beautiful insights and questions about life and the impact we have on others scattered throughout the book, but when they'd come up, I often didn't feel very moved by them either because I was exhausted keeping up with the main story or because they didn't get enough time to settle.

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

"It would take two more summers to realize it was a book about a house that was not a house and a dream that was no dream at all.” This is a beautiful, unsettling exploration of trauma derived from an abusive relationship. I've heard people describe this book as horror, and though I don't fully see it under that genre, I do agree Machado's memoir has elements that lean into gothic horror. She has captured the suffocating, paralyzing nature of her former relationship so well, and I felt so tense and sad as she recounted what it felt like in those moments and what it feels like now, reflecting on it. I love the way Machado establishes the dream house as this fluid concept, not just a physical space, but also the mental one where these memories are stored, filed away, and where this past version of herself and her former lover still exists in some way she has to reconcile when she revisits those moments. I can definitely see myself reaching for this book again in the future to see what new meaning I can draw from it.

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

medium-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

2.5

This story has a solid premise, and I like the characters Celeste Ng created, but ultimately, it feels undercooked. The world building is pretty light, which makes it accessible but also undercuts the tension and stakes of the story. Ng details some of the governmental policies and establishes a generally hostile environment for Asian Americans, but for most of the story, it feels like there isn't much legitimate danger. She mostly just tells us the world is dangerous without actually showing us; I don't at any point actually feel worried for Bird or his safety. I also was confused by some details. Why are buildings fully disintegrating when it's been...13-15 years, at most, since the "big event"? Also, the ending doesn't make sense - the character motivation isn't clear, and it feels pretty pointless and undermines this giant emotional moment we got.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

An excellent read, especially on audiobook—Ta-Nehisi Coates' delivers this extended letter to his son on what it means to be a black man in the United States with passion and conviction.

Maame by Jessica George

challenging emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This is a really excellent debut from Jessica George. The characters are well fleshed out and likable, even if they are not perfect (which is not always an easy balance to strike), and the story has a great pacing to it that manages to weave smoothly between moments of lightheartedness and seriousness. I found Maddie really relatable, though at times you're just wishing you could go in and give her some wisdom and life experience so she doesn't have to learn things the hard way. I also loved the dynamic with her family—something George gets really right with this book is managing to shine light on the humor in situations while still taking them seriously. Maddie's mother, for example, is such a great character because she will drive you crazy but also have you laughing and begrudgingly admitting she's right about certain things or has good intentions. And George does an excellent job giving these side characters depth while also using them to spark growth in Maddie. This is overall a really beautiful, funny, sad coming-of-age story about a woman who had to grow up in some ways sooner than expected while also being held back from growing up in other ways she should have been allowed to.

Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Absolutely check the content warnings before diving into this one. I was extremely uncomfortable by chapter 2/3, and the source of that discomfort is a trait intrinsic to Shori as a character, so it's not like you'll be done once you get past that point. I almost DNFd, but I did continue reading and just mentally adjusted Shori's appearance in my head. The story itself moves along at a good pace and keeps you interested. This is my second Butler book, and she definitely does a lot more world building in this one (and she does it well - it was interesting to read about the Ina history). I do think there are maybe some issues with things moving a little too fast at times, where it feels like you're almost getting a summary of the book rather than the meat of the story, but it wasn't dissatisfying. The main reason this didn't rate higher for me is simply because of the content warning stuff, which just does not work at all.

And some thoughts on the content warning material—

I do think there are reasons Butler chose to specifically make Shori appear as a 10- to 11-year-old girl (flipping the traditional power dynamic of adult predator and child where Shori has the power and the adult is not actually "attracted" to Shori because of her appearance makes for interesting discussion and challenges certain ideas), I don't think those reasons are enough for it to have been included, particularly because we then have to get through the rest of the book with that uncomfortable dynamic coming up again and again.

The Seep by Chana Porter

dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I'm still not fully sure what to make of this book. I feel like it implied it was going a certain direction and then went somewhere completely different. This book is about The Seep, a strange alien entity that infiltrates the world as we know it and "enlightens" people to where they suddenly have an inherent understanding of how to live in harmony with each other and the planet. But ultimately, it's much more interested in this very human story of a woman whose wife leaves her after they've grown apart and want different things and who then grapples with the aftermath of that decision (obviously the specifics of this are strange because this is a post-Seep world, but that's the gist of it). Ultimately, the book feels too short and doesn't explore The Seep well enough to satisfy that element of the plot, nor does it give enough time and exploration to the interconnected stories that Porta attempts to tie together in an odd and abrupt conclusion (especially the Compound kid, who was the driving force behind Trina's journey for most of the novel but who doesn't really amount to anything as a character). However, the idea itself is really interesting and the characters she's introduced are great; I just didn't feel I spent enough time with all of them for the climax to have the effect Porta wanted.