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mitskacir's review
3.0
As with all short story collections, some were better than others. I preferred the ones that were more reigned in, more realistic - many of them had scenarios that quickly spiraled out of control, becoming completely absurd by the end (examples: a cult leader clogging multiple toilets on an airplane with his socks and underwear to get the attention of the man sitting next to him; a college rejection culminating in a arson; a golfing excursion culminating in a shoot out). The title does say it all - this book is about deceit and the strange and baffling possibilities that stem from it.
laurenexploresbooks's review
5.0
What a tumultuous beautiful and powerful read that highlights how immigrant families navigate the complexities, joys, and challenges of living in America. This work highlighted so many important topics throughout the stories including navigating cultural expectations that differ between family and outside community, grappling with debt and poverty, dealing with scandal and shame, grappling with the decision to have children, and how love manifests in a plethora of forms. This work was a five star for me and so compelling.
katiez624's review
4.0
Each story included in this collection was unique and compelling to read. I enjoyed the diversity in immigrant experiences that were included, as well as the theme of deception that permeated every story. There were quite a few protagonists who were quite unlikable and didn't mind stepping on other to further their own station in life. Thankfully, we didn't have to stay with any story for too long, and Hua did a great job of highlight a revealing vignette of their story to convey a bigger picture. I enjoyed this collection as well as her previous work, [b:A River of Stars|36978059|A River of Stars|Vanessa Hua|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1514523099l/36978059._SY75_.jpg|58782919].
kaliaddy's review against another edition
4.0
The stories all contain deception in one way or another and I enjoyed how you didn’t really quite know what the deception always was in the beginning of the story. Although second hand embarrassment is very real here (because you really can’t “enjoy” deceit). In a lot of ways, I felt sad for many of the characters. Their deception is often tied to finding some sense of worth or trying to please others, but the cost is often pretty damn high.
Two observations that made me really like this collection:
1) the writing is deceptively simple - the stories are quick and easy to read but so much is going on in them. So I found myself wondering if that deceptively simple writing was intended. Did the author think about how she was writing a simple, complicated story? I think she’s brilliant if she did.
2) the stories often end abruptly - just as a revelation is made or something big is about to happen or you want to see if the main character can pull off their next desperate attempt. Sometimes I hate that tactic, but it works well here in the setting of deceit because you never know what’s next when you’re in a nebulous situation
Two observations that made me really like this collection:
1) the writing is deceptively simple - the stories are quick and easy to read but so much is going on in them. So I found myself wondering if that deceptively simple writing was intended. Did the author think about how she was writing a simple, complicated story? I think she’s brilliant if she did.
2) the stories often end abruptly - just as a revelation is made or something big is about to happen or you want to see if the main character can pull off their next desperate attempt. Sometimes I hate that tactic, but it works well here in the setting of deceit because you never know what’s next when you’re in a nebulous situation
spiderfelt's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the way each story subverted the traditional stereotype of the perfect student, dutiful child, diligent business owner. The author explored humanity through the lens of racial tropes, refusing to lead the characters in predictable ways.
treandgro's review against another edition
5.0
This collection hooked me from the first pages and had me reeling until the very end. As brief as the stories are, they delve into the minds and lives of a range of complicated and fully realized characters who reveal themselves more fully up until the last word of each story. The plots will keep the pages turning, and the souls on display will tether your heart to this book. I'm sure there's more fascinating fiction to come from this brilliant voice.
kiramke's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting theme, and I appreciated the breadth of experiences focused around this point. It's apparent these stories are collected from years of writing as the voice advances. Worth reading but not going on my favorite shorts shelf.
vjy's review
3.0
3.5/5, 3 if had to give full stars
I originally read Hua's short story "Accepted," for my Asian American literature class. I found her writing innovative, focusing on aspects of the Asian American experience that are often overlooked in favor of more model minority-esque tales ("Accepted" is about a girl who pretends to be a Stanford student after being denied). I found most of the stories in the collection to be interesting and unique, and I think Hua does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes. I did think that the overarching theme of deceit did kind of limit Hua's ability to really shine, because the continued theme became a little repetitive after a while despite her best efforts to keep it fresh. It's also difficult to empathize with a lot of the characters due to their deceptive natures, and often times the stories don't have very satisfying resolutions. Other themes also repeat throughout the collection, like religion, familial duty, and issues of money.
The story I liked the most was "What They Shared," I think it does a good job of capturing the divide between American-born and foreign-born Asian Americans, the different struggles both face and the lack of understanding that often occurs between them. I think I might have enjoyed the book more if I had read all the short stories more spaced out, reading them all at once meant I was more overwhelmed by their similarities.
I originally read Hua's short story "Accepted," for my Asian American literature class. I found her writing innovative, focusing on aspects of the Asian American experience that are often overlooked in favor of more model minority-esque tales ("Accepted" is about a girl who pretends to be a Stanford student after being denied). I found most of the stories in the collection to be interesting and unique, and I think Hua does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes. I did think that the overarching theme of deceit did kind of limit Hua's ability to really shine, because the continued theme became a little repetitive after a while despite her best efforts to keep it fresh. It's also difficult to empathize with a lot of the characters due to their deceptive natures, and often times the stories don't have very satisfying resolutions. Other themes also repeat throughout the collection, like religion, familial duty, and issues of money.
The story I liked the most was "What They Shared," I think it does a good job of capturing the divide between American-born and foreign-born Asian Americans, the different struggles both face and the lack of understanding that often occurs between them. I think I might have enjoyed the book more if I had read all the short stories more spaced out, reading them all at once meant I was more overwhelmed by their similarities.
lee's review
4.0
Two years ago, I read Vanessa Hua’s debut novel A River of Stars, which presented a realistic take on the Chinese immigrant experience against the backdrop of the “birth tourism” phenomenon in the United States. I enjoyed that book quite a bit, not just for the story and the characters, but also the way Hua was able to work the cultural references into the plot so smoothly. I remember thinking at that time how much I looked forward to Hua’s next book and hoping that she wouldn’t make us wait too long. Well, the wait isn’t exactly over yet, since Hua’s next novel has yet to materialize, however a compilation of short stories that she had written over the years was re-released earlier this month, in a collection which includes newer stories that weren’t part of the version released back in 2016.
This particular collection consists of 13 stories featuring protagonists from various backgrounds and all different walks of life, but with one commonality – the characters were either immigrants or from immigrant families, with the shared experience of trying to navigate two worlds: the one they came from and the one in which they currently lived. Of course, given the title of the book, each of the story dealt with the underlying theme of deception – whether it was the characters deceiving themselves, their families, or others. With that said though, these stories actually went much deeper than that, as Hua covered a lot of ground in terms of topics, such as identity and belonging, family, love, marriage and relationships, religion, infidelity, loneliness and isolation, etc. One of the things that made this collection stand out for me was the diverse nature of the characters -- who hailed from places such as Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Vietnam, Japan, Serbia, Africa – as well as how creatively different and varied each of the stories was. Not only that, the other thing that impressed me was the way Hua was able to incorporate aspects of each culture so seamlessly into the stories, all of which were immersive and interesting to read. It’s certainly not often that we get such a varied portrayal of immigrant life, encompassing so many different voices and perspectives, all in a single story collection.
This is an excellent collection that I enjoyed and absolutely recommend! My only complaint is that these are short stories, which are “incomplete” by nature, and so like I do when I read any short story collection, I felt like I was left hanging when each story ended abruptly. Some of the stories I actually felt a sense of disappointment when I got to the end because the plot was at a climactic point, but then I turn the page and the story is over – several times I felt like the rug was being pulled from under me just when things were getting good. But of course, I have this problem with all short story collections in general, which is why I will always prefer full-length novels more.
With this collection, I actually liked all the stories, so to pick which ones were ‘favorites’ is extremely difficult. Instead, I am just going to point out which stories stood out the most to me: “Line, Please” and “Loaves and Fishes” (because of the familiarity with the Hong Kong culture and setting, though the parallels to former HK celebrity Edison Chen’s real-life scandal were way too obvious!), “For What They Shared” (this was the most cleverly-written out of all the stories), “The Responsibility of Deceit” (wonderfully written story about an interracial gay couple dealing with the fallout from one partner’s ‘coming out’ to his traditional Chinese parents), “VIP Tutoring” (this one gave me a sense of déjà vu, as I actually know people like those in the story, with very similar experiences), “The Older the Ginger” (probably one of the most culturally-resonant out of all the stories), and “Room at the Table” (this was the story that I personally resonated with the most).
Received ARC from Counterpoint Press via Edelweiss.
This particular collection consists of 13 stories featuring protagonists from various backgrounds and all different walks of life, but with one commonality – the characters were either immigrants or from immigrant families, with the shared experience of trying to navigate two worlds: the one they came from and the one in which they currently lived. Of course, given the title of the book, each of the story dealt with the underlying theme of deception – whether it was the characters deceiving themselves, their families, or others. With that said though, these stories actually went much deeper than that, as Hua covered a lot of ground in terms of topics, such as identity and belonging, family, love, marriage and relationships, religion, infidelity, loneliness and isolation, etc. One of the things that made this collection stand out for me was the diverse nature of the characters -- who hailed from places such as Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Vietnam, Japan, Serbia, Africa – as well as how creatively different and varied each of the stories was. Not only that, the other thing that impressed me was the way Hua was able to incorporate aspects of each culture so seamlessly into the stories, all of which were immersive and interesting to read. It’s certainly not often that we get such a varied portrayal of immigrant life, encompassing so many different voices and perspectives, all in a single story collection.
This is an excellent collection that I enjoyed and absolutely recommend! My only complaint is that these are short stories, which are “incomplete” by nature, and so like I do when I read any short story collection, I felt like I was left hanging when each story ended abruptly. Some of the stories I actually felt a sense of disappointment when I got to the end because the plot was at a climactic point, but then I turn the page and the story is over – several times I felt like the rug was being pulled from under me just when things were getting good. But of course, I have this problem with all short story collections in general, which is why I will always prefer full-length novels more.
With this collection, I actually liked all the stories, so to pick which ones were ‘favorites’ is extremely difficult. Instead, I am just going to point out which stories stood out the most to me: “Line, Please” and “Loaves and Fishes” (because of the familiarity with the Hong Kong culture and setting, though the parallels to former HK celebrity Edison Chen’s real-life scandal were way too obvious!), “For What They Shared” (this was the most cleverly-written out of all the stories), “The Responsibility of Deceit” (wonderfully written story about an interracial gay couple dealing with the fallout from one partner’s ‘coming out’ to his traditional Chinese parents), “VIP Tutoring” (this one gave me a sense of déjà vu, as I actually know people like those in the story, with very similar experiences), “The Older the Ginger” (probably one of the most culturally-resonant out of all the stories), and “Room at the Table” (this was the story that I personally resonated with the most).
Received ARC from Counterpoint Press via Edelweiss.
carolinalopezwatt's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia