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jayisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
This was such a heartbreaking but beautifully written memoir in which Talusan shares her experiences of moving to the United States from the Philippines, being sexually abused by her grandfather, dealing with cancer as an adult, handling family secrets, and more. Talusan discussed her pain and trauma with such openness and delivered it honestly and with the intent to reflect. While deeply personal, there are emotional aspects of this book that I think would reach a lot of people (for example, the family dynamics that come with being an immigrant/child of immigrant parents). Feelings are complex, especially when trauma is involved, and Talusan navigated this so well.
This is by no means an easy book to get through (and really take into consideration the content warning), but it was poignantly written with much to think about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Incest, Grief, Child abuse, Cancer, and Racism
Moderate: Death
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