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debcasalotti's review
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
laivey's review
5.0
“Children everywhere deserved to laugh and cry and storm, to call the entirety of the planet their home. The borders that divided us meant nothing to them at all.”
“Maybe the more experiences you have, the layers of your life, like washes of color, watercolor, transform the loss or how you perceive it at least. So the grief is still there. But it has a different tint to it.”
“Maybe the more experiences you have, the layers of your life, like washes of color, watercolor, transform the loss or how you perceive it at least. So the grief is still there. But it has a different tint to it.”
mujkien's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book was way too long as it kept repeating the same things. I felt like it also tried to tackle too many themes at once without actually diving into them. The ending was very unsatisfying.
Also, why did every character have "a long face" and burst into tears in the middle of every conversation
Also, why did every character have "a long face" and burst into tears in the middle of every conversation
cadeyladey's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
4.0
lit_laugh_luv's review
3.0
This is a novel that from the onset takes on an ambitious premise - the unexplained disappearance of a Sunhee Kim, the untimely death of a stranger in the Kim family's backyard, and the layers of connections between the two. Amidst this mystery there's deep exploration into the themes of motherhood, obligation, solitude, and the different perspectives on the pressures to assimilate as an immigrant.
Sunny is absolutely the standout character in this book, and the dual timelines do an excellent job at exploring the nuanced family dynamics of Ana, Ronald, John and herself. Both Sunny and John are traumatized from their experiences in the Korean War, and their contrasting perspectives on the American dream drives a lot of conflict in their marriage as they view their own privileges and immigration stories in very different ways. There's direct reference to several prominent historical events, like the LA Riots in 1992. Overall, the characterization in this book is absolutely phenomenal and I very much enjoyed how seamlessly the themes of guilt, autonomy, and lingering trauma propelled a lot of the character development here.
What didn't work for me is the plot, which unfortunately detracted from my overall experience. The dialogue and foreshadowing are heavy handed, and the events of the plot just felt too sequential and over dramatized for me to reasonably enjoy. The events are largely predictable yet progress in a convoluted way. For example, several side characters are introduced which makes the mystery initially more sprawling, but as you learn more information it becomes clear they have little relevance to the events unfolding. The exploration into police corruption was interesting, but largely felt included without much nuance and resulted in some very clunky dialogue between characters (reminiscent of a Scooby Doo mystery). The ending was quite unsatisfying to me as it didn't really make much logical sense - the reactions from the characters felt unbelievable and very inconsistent with the development the previous 350+ pages accomplished.
Overall - mixed feelings on this one! Absolutely excellent characters and character development, but the dialogue and plot felt noticeably weaker to me. I would still recommend this as there's some excellent reflections and passages on immigration, freedom, and womanhood, but if you're compelled to the read this based on the mystery aspect alone I'd proceed with caution.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC!
Sunny is absolutely the standout character in this book, and the dual timelines do an excellent job at exploring the nuanced family dynamics of Ana, Ronald, John and herself. Both Sunny and John are traumatized from their experiences in the Korean War, and their contrasting perspectives on the American dream drives a lot of conflict in their marriage as they view their own privileges and immigration stories in very different ways. There's direct reference to several prominent historical events, like the LA Riots in 1992. Overall, the characterization in this book is absolutely phenomenal and I very much enjoyed how seamlessly the themes of guilt, autonomy, and lingering trauma propelled a lot of the character development here.
What didn't work for me is the plot, which unfortunately detracted from my overall experience. The dialogue and foreshadowing are heavy handed, and the events of the plot just felt too sequential and over dramatized for me to reasonably enjoy. The events are largely predictable yet progress in a convoluted way. For example, several side characters are introduced which makes the mystery initially more sprawling, but as you learn more information it becomes clear they have little relevance to the events unfolding. The exploration into police corruption was interesting, but largely felt included without much nuance and resulted in some very clunky dialogue between characters (reminiscent of a Scooby Doo mystery). The ending was quite unsatisfying to me as it didn't really make much logical sense - the reactions from the characters felt unbelievable and very inconsistent with the development the previous 350+ pages accomplished.
Overall - mixed feelings on this one! Absolutely excellent characters and character development, but the dialogue and plot felt noticeably weaker to me. I would still recommend this as there's some excellent reflections and passages on immigration, freedom, and womanhood, but if you're compelled to the read this based on the mystery aspect alone I'd proceed with caution.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the ARC!
burnedoutbookdragon's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you liked Celeste Ng's "Little Fires Everywhere", you'll enjoy this book.
Genre: literary fiction, mystery
Rating: 5⭐
Diversity: all the things
Method: hardback
WHAT I LIKED & DISLIKED ABOUT IT:
Although this isn't a slow read, I took my time with it. There were so many quotable lines and moments in which I wanted to sit with. This was so beautifully written. The characters, who are fictional, are actual people who walk amongst us. Their stories we may never know unless we are so inclined to show a moment of kindness and empathy.
There are so many themes explored in this book and I won't name them all. The biggest theme is how secrets and lack of connection hurt us all. What happens if we're truly vunerable and share all of ourselves? The other themes are best revealed and explored as you read along. This book felt like a love letter to the city of L.A., immigrant life, the diversity of the city, and the human experience are the same, even if we're experiencing it differently.
The author artfully weaves all of this into a suspenseful story of a mysterious death, a missing person, and how it affects an Asian-American family.
RECOMMENDATION:
This book is great if you love a suspense novel that explores what it means to keep secrets and keep parts of ourselves hidden from the world and those we love.
Genre: literary fiction, mystery
Rating: 5⭐
Diversity: all the things
Method: hardback
WHAT I LIKED & DISLIKED ABOUT IT:
Although this isn't a slow read, I took my time with it. There were so many quotable lines and moments in which I wanted to sit with. This was so beautifully written. The characters, who are fictional, are actual people who walk amongst us. Their stories we may never know unless we are so inclined to show a moment of kindness and empathy.
There are so many themes explored in this book and I won't name them all. The biggest theme is how secrets and lack of connection hurt us all. What happens if we're truly vunerable and share all of ourselves? The other themes are best revealed and explored as you read along. This book felt like a love letter to the city of L.A., immigrant life, the diversity of the city, and the human experience are the same, even if we're experiencing it differently.
The author artfully weaves all of this into a suspenseful story of a mysterious death, a missing person, and how it affects an Asian-American family.
RECOMMENDATION:
This book is great if you love a suspense novel that explores what it means to keep secrets and keep parts of ourselves hidden from the world and those we love.
lostcupofstars's review against another edition
2.0
This book had NO business dragging like this.
It was so slow and the conclusion was not satisfying. There was a lot of telling rather than showing in this book and ultimately it was boring.
It was so slow and the conclusion was not satisfying. There was a lot of telling rather than showing in this book and ultimately it was boring.
ingygamaly's review
emotional
informative
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? Yes
3.5
was a good audiobook to go through in my spare time but I wasn't captivated to listen to it all the time
sarah_sunshine9's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0