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tildahlia's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited for this book, given Alexander Chee was cited as a mentor and the endorsement from Lorrie Moore. It was...ok? The character of Yuki was better drawn than that of Jay (who felt very underdeveloped) but somehow I still finished the book unclear on their personalities and motivations and really wondering what the book was trying to say. Perhaps this was intentional? While there are some interesting themes around intergenerational trauma, identity, gender floating around in here, it didn't fully come together for me.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
4.0
I would recommend this to those who wanted more from [b:The Last Story of Mina Lee|49374507|The Last Story of Mina Lee|Nancy Jooyoun Kim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600361430l/49374507._SY75_.jpg|74676579]. Harmless Like You has a nearly identical premise but in my opinion it is much better and presents two interesting timelines and narrators. The tone is sad, cynical and a little funny. The characters are unlikable, but the author has put great effort into setting the context to their gloomy lives. The book channels loneliness and restlessness through the two narrators, in separate timelines. I especially liked the idea that even when you think that your choices have led you to where you are supposed to be, there is always room for doubt and longing.
mkendon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rachelevelyn's review against another edition
4.25
I really enjoyed this book and found it very well written. The storyline was a bit disjoined and patchy in parts.
yumducko's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The book is overcompensating in some aspects. Overwhelming. I love her writing in the beginning and the story piques my curiosity. But in the end it fails to keep my interest and seems dragged out. Her writing gets boring and annoying. My inital thought was that i was going to give this a 5 stars. However, i have to excuse myself as well as i am known to be inept in being able to connect to storylines such as ones involving an immigrant and what not. I truly find it hatd to see between the fine lines because i cannot empathize
rebekahf's review against another edition
3.0
Harmless Like You tells the parallel stories of Yuki, a young Japanese woman living in 1960s New York, and Jay, the son she subsequently abandons. When Yuki is 16 her family move back to Tokyo but, despite having no friends, she decides to stay on in America to pursue her true love, art.
The story of her life ultimately leads us to the present day, where her son Jay become a father and, he thinks, a happily married man. It is also the year he will finally confront his mother, who abandoned their family when he was two years old.
It is Buchanan’s debut novel and it is fair to say, she is an exciting and fresh new literary voice. It took me a long time and several false starts to actually pick up the book and get stuck in. It is a slow, smoldering start that might put the average reader off, but stick with it and watch the spark grow. Once I did sit down with it and push through the first few pages, I was hooked.
Every character in the story is broken, damaged and so fragile – much like every person on this earth. However Buchanan perfectly balances the tragedy and grit of real life with beauty. Odile and Lillian – Yuki’s ‘foster’ family in America are, despite their glaring faults, loving and warm. I loved the glimpse of Odile that Jay got, even if it did leave me with more questions than answers.
While reading this gorgeous tale, it’s easy to forget that it is Buchanan’s debut. Her writing is polished and very clever. Yuki is an artist and Buchanan has titled each chapter of Yuki’s story as a colour; giving a description of its properties, uses and history. Don’t skip over them, as they will give you a slight glimpse into what lies ahead.
The two stories intertwine to create one powerful novel about love, loneliness and reconciliation. Harmless Like You is a little like dark chocolate – bitter yet sweet at the same time. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, you’ll come out better off having read it.
The story of her life ultimately leads us to the present day, where her son Jay become a father and, he thinks, a happily married man. It is also the year he will finally confront his mother, who abandoned their family when he was two years old.
It is Buchanan’s debut novel and it is fair to say, she is an exciting and fresh new literary voice. It took me a long time and several false starts to actually pick up the book and get stuck in. It is a slow, smoldering start that might put the average reader off, but stick with it and watch the spark grow. Once I did sit down with it and push through the first few pages, I was hooked.
Every character in the story is broken, damaged and so fragile – much like every person on this earth. However Buchanan perfectly balances the tragedy and grit of real life with beauty. Odile and Lillian – Yuki’s ‘foster’ family in America are, despite their glaring faults, loving and warm. I loved the glimpse of Odile that Jay got, even if it did leave me with more questions than answers.
While reading this gorgeous tale, it’s easy to forget that it is Buchanan’s debut. Her writing is polished and very clever. Yuki is an artist and Buchanan has titled each chapter of Yuki’s story as a colour; giving a description of its properties, uses and history. Don’t skip over them, as they will give you a slight glimpse into what lies ahead.
The two stories intertwine to create one powerful novel about love, loneliness and reconciliation. Harmless Like You is a little like dark chocolate – bitter yet sweet at the same time. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, you’ll come out better off having read it.
jager123's review against another edition
5.0
This is a book that takes the reader by the hand and gently walks them through the life of Yuki, a Japanese girl raised in America and also tells the story of her son. Trigger warnings for FDV are necessary but I will say that this difficult subject when it is raised is dealt with in an amazing level of sensitivity. One of the reviews calls it an ode to the outsider. It is a novel that spoke to me. It wove a spell around my heart and mind and kept me engrossed for every word. As someone always considered ‘different’, ‘difficult’, ‘socially awkward’, I felt like my world was being introduced to the reader. There were moments of intense familiarity and profound loneliness held closely in the pages. It is beautiful, intricate and tragic. It is a road map of the struggles we can encounter and how our choices and the choices of others can change our direction in a single moment. Take a deep breath and give this wonderful book a chance. This will stay with me.
owlyreadsalot's review
4.0
Harmless Like You was an intense read, with many perspectives to fit everything back in together up to the very end. A read I feel many can relate to, whether being in a whole new place, with new people, circumstances one never expected or saw coming, life moments that can bring joy or a mixture of sad feels and pain. There was all of that and so much more in this novel.
I found myself upset by many of the pages, shaking my head in several parts, and it wasn't from any bad writing or lack of, it was from everything that Yuki went through and allowed herself to live. A girl that grew up in a country that wasn't her parents own, always feeling out of place, never having anyone her age to rely on. Then she meets Odile, who offers her some sort of a friendship, in Yuki's mind it felt like she finally found her place. And then began all the craziness in her life.
"Yuki didn't stay late after school or talk to men. She was a dutiful sidewalk slab of a citizen. But she'd seen something she wanted to steal so badly her fingers itched with it: this girl's sunrise-hair."
A story of Yuki trying to fit in, to be free and happy, wanting more of her moments to be like those in Odile's daily routines. If she had only met a different girl, with different intentions, maybe her life wouldn't have come out the way it did, maybe her son wouldn't be living in a world without his mother and being a cruel, selfish, husband and father. There are many moments like these, the entire story of Yuki's beginning and her son's present situation.
And what a son she has in Jay, another part that made me just as irritated and angered, but understanding in some parts of what he must be feeling, why he is as damaged as he has come to be. Doesn't mean I cared to forgive any of his callous' way of thinking. Or the fact that he tried to justify his indiscretion, then later on supposedly regretting it, but choosing not to say anything about it.
"I'd never dreamed of leaving my wife until this creature came into our lives. When I was a kid, I used to ask dad, was it my fault Mommy left? He always said she'd just been an unhappy person. My old psychiatrist said it was ridiculous to blame my two-year-old self. I believed her, until I had a baby of my own."
I couldn't place this novel down, even with everything that set me off about it, I found that it captured the story of many. There are numerous things that happen in life, that many go through, several situations like those of Yuki and Jay, of Odile and her mother Lillian, even of people like Lou who are sad and pathetic and really don't understand the cruelty they place upon the person they are said to love.
Harmless Like You makes one think and feel for all of them, mostly wanting to snap some sense into them, but no matter the feel it was part of what made this read as good as it was. Every page as interesting as the next.
***I received this copy from W.W. Norton & Company in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
I found myself upset by many of the pages, shaking my head in several parts, and it wasn't from any bad writing or lack of, it was from everything that Yuki went through and allowed herself to live. A girl that grew up in a country that wasn't her parents own, always feeling out of place, never having anyone her age to rely on. Then she meets Odile, who offers her some sort of a friendship, in Yuki's mind it felt like she finally found her place. And then began all the craziness in her life.
"Yuki didn't stay late after school or talk to men. She was a dutiful sidewalk slab of a citizen. But she'd seen something she wanted to steal so badly her fingers itched with it: this girl's sunrise-hair."
A story of Yuki trying to fit in, to be free and happy, wanting more of her moments to be like those in Odile's daily routines. If she had only met a different girl, with different intentions, maybe her life wouldn't have come out the way it did, maybe her son wouldn't be living in a world without his mother and being a cruel, selfish, husband and father. There are many moments like these, the entire story of Yuki's beginning and her son's present situation.
And what a son she has in Jay, another part that made me just as irritated and angered, but understanding in some parts of what he must be feeling, why he is as damaged as he has come to be. Doesn't mean I cared to forgive any of his callous' way of thinking. Or the fact that he tried to justify his indiscretion, then later on supposedly regretting it, but choosing not to say anything about it.
"I'd never dreamed of leaving my wife until this creature came into our lives. When I was a kid, I used to ask dad, was it my fault Mommy left? He always said she'd just been an unhappy person. My old psychiatrist said it was ridiculous to blame my two-year-old self. I believed her, until I had a baby of my own."
I couldn't place this novel down, even with everything that set me off about it, I found that it captured the story of many. There are numerous things that happen in life, that many go through, several situations like those of Yuki and Jay, of Odile and her mother Lillian, even of people like Lou who are sad and pathetic and really don't understand the cruelty they place upon the person they are said to love.
Harmless Like You makes one think and feel for all of them, mostly wanting to snap some sense into them, but no matter the feel it was part of what made this read as good as it was. Every page as interesting as the next.
***I received this copy from W.W. Norton & Company in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
thepsychonyx's review against another edition
5.0
This book crushed me in the oddest way in that it forced me to think in a way I never wanted to think. I felt the weight of the decisions yet somewhat understood them. Yukiko’s displacement within her own identity, her struggle as an artist and her detachment in associating herself with the matters of her heart felt like a lesson. My heart feels sour but I have learned from Yukiko, and Buchanan is amazing for creating that.
Also-Edison owns my heart
Also-Edison owns my heart