Reviews

Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang

abigaildrozek's review

emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

kelsie17's review

informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

jecarey's review

1.0

Does the world need a novel about an author who has been brain poisoned by the Bay Area looking down on Ithaca? It does not.

joyyceh's review

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

daumari's review

4.0

This feels like thinly fictionalized memoir (especially as the author is married, has a dog and a cat, and lives in Ithaca). A lot of musings on what to do in your mid-twenties, when working at a job that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and when you might be the trailing partner for someone going elsewhere for grad school, etc. A thoughtful book.

nikkigrady's review

reflective medium-paced

3.5

abzhozay's review

slow-paced

3.0

This book had a lot going on for it. It brought great discussions of an asian girl working in a white dominated industry & having a white boyfriend but also having Chinese immigrant parents who has a hard time understanding her circumstances. This book is for the millenials, the burnouts, the second and the generation immigrant children. Although it's very melancholic, poignant, and objectively great written discussions, it's also a very slow book that I had a harder time focusing up until the end. I still think you should give this book a chance, but the writing wasn't for me personally.

luciepzt's review

informative reflective

4.75

jnelsontwo's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

chan_bean's review

2.0

Honestly,

Spoiler

I feel like I was tricked into reading a memoir. A little over halfway through the book it is revealed that the main character's name is the author's name. And In the acknowledgments the author mentions her husband, Jeff, who I'm assuming is J. I read her bio in the back of the book before reading, and I have no problem with people writing from their experiences, but if I knew that this would be so heavily based on her personal life I don't think I would have read it.

I found the parts about the dynamics at her job most interesting, but they were few and far in between, especially once the main characters move to Ithaca. I didn't feel any deep emotional connection to anyone in this story, so it fell flat for me.