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pattricejones's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of recently-written books claim to be hard-boiled or noir. This is the real deal. Bonus points for vivid evocation of time-place and wrenchingly deadpan depiction of the sequelae of trauma.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
One of the joys of reading is discovering a new author that you like and want to explore more into their catalog. I found that with Ed Lin. Wow what a book.
This is one I’ve had on my shelf for a while that I decided to finally tackle. And I loved it. Yes in some sense it is a mystery but the mystery is only part of the story. The real story is Robert Chow, Chinese-American, Chinatown product, Vietnam washout, tokenized NYPD patrolman. Through his eyes, the reader gets a clear look at Manhattan’s Chinatown via 1976. The characters feel real, their problems real, the dilemma of being an immigrant and having connections to a country in serious change is presented in painful detail. And along the lines, Robert has to navigate the boundaries of policing the old neighborhood, living with his expectations, and trying to escape it while not really escaping it.
Robert is not a likable character; in fact, he’s a bit of a misanthrope. But I think that’s what makes the story compelling. He’s having a hard time putting his life together due to circumstances outside of his control and even when he does something “right,” like getting a good, steady job, he still can’t rise on his merits. He struggles with alcoholism, internalized bigotry, and just general angst but the reader can sympathize to a degree. He’s seen as a pawn both by the people in his neighborhood and the department, making it tough for him to break out and become something new.
His journey is the real story. Yes there’s a mystery but if you’re reading this for the whodunnit, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to get a good, well-developed picture of a neighborhood in its time, check this out. You’ll be glad you did.
This is one I’ve had on my shelf for a while that I decided to finally tackle. And I loved it. Yes in some sense it is a mystery but the mystery is only part of the story. The real story is Robert Chow, Chinese-American, Chinatown product, Vietnam washout, tokenized NYPD patrolman. Through his eyes, the reader gets a clear look at Manhattan’s Chinatown via 1976. The characters feel real, their problems real, the dilemma of being an immigrant and having connections to a country in serious change is presented in painful detail. And along the lines, Robert has to navigate the boundaries of policing the old neighborhood, living with his expectations, and trying to escape it while not really escaping it.
Robert is not a likable character; in fact, he’s a bit of a misanthrope. But I think that’s what makes the story compelling. He’s having a hard time putting his life together due to circumstances outside of his control and even when he does something “right,” like getting a good, steady job, he still can’t rise on his merits. He struggles with alcoholism, internalized bigotry, and just general angst but the reader can sympathize to a degree. He’s seen as a pawn both by the people in his neighborhood and the department, making it tough for him to break out and become something new.
His journey is the real story. Yes there’s a mystery but if you’re reading this for the whodunnit, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to get a good, well-developed picture of a neighborhood in its time, check this out. You’ll be glad you did.
circularcubes's review against another edition
4.0
3.5*
Let me be honest: there is very little Ed Lin can do wrong in writing a book about Chinese-Americans, with Chinese-American protagonists, because this the playing field is so limited to begin with. Also, I'm predisposed to like him because we share a last name, and I get overly excited whenever I can find media created by People Who Have My Last Name. The last book I read of Lin's, Ghost Month, was, dare I say, not very good. However - limited playing field. Despite the previous book of his being a bust, nothing would dissuade me from picking up his other work and getting another all-too-rare chance to read a novel about fellow Chinese-Americans. Plus, this book is set in the 1970s, and the only thing rarer than novels about Chinese-American communities are novels about Chinese-American communities in the past.
I liked this book well enough. The murder mystery is, as other reviewers have noted, rather more secondary to the scenery and the characters, and although it was more of a sideline to the book, I enjoyed the unraveling of that particular plot line. The characters took a while to grow on me, and while I could never entirely begin to care about the apathetic, alcoholic Officer Chow, the secondary characters were more interesting and I genuinely wanted to see what their trajectories would be (good thing there are sequels?) It's hard for me to judge a book that I started off really wanting to like - even if the book is a bit sparse and dour and not quite about my community of Asian-Americans, this is about all I have.
Also, I really wanted hot dog buns the whole time I was reading this book. I think this is my cue to pay a visit to Chinatown and stock up on all the delicious pastries I day dreamed about while reading this.
Let me be honest: there is very little Ed Lin can do wrong in writing a book about Chinese-Americans, with Chinese-American protagonists, because this the playing field is so limited to begin with. Also, I'm predisposed to like him because we share a last name, and I get overly excited whenever I can find media created by People Who Have My Last Name. The last book I read of Lin's, Ghost Month, was, dare I say, not very good. However - limited playing field. Despite the previous book of his being a bust, nothing would dissuade me from picking up his other work and getting another all-too-rare chance to read a novel about fellow Chinese-Americans. Plus, this book is set in the 1970s, and the only thing rarer than novels about Chinese-American communities are novels about Chinese-American communities in the past.
I liked this book well enough. The murder mystery is, as other reviewers have noted, rather more secondary to the scenery and the characters, and although it was more of a sideline to the book, I enjoyed the unraveling of that particular plot line. The characters took a while to grow on me, and while I could never entirely begin to care about the apathetic, alcoholic Officer Chow, the secondary characters were more interesting and I genuinely wanted to see what their trajectories would be (good thing there are sequels?) It's hard for me to judge a book that I started off really wanting to like - even if the book is a bit sparse and dour and not quite about my community of Asian-Americans, this is about all I have.
Also, I really wanted hot dog buns the whole time I was reading this book. I think this is my cue to pay a visit to Chinatown and stock up on all the delicious pastries I day dreamed about while reading this.
kfrench1008's review against another edition
5.0
A great book. Wonderful 70s Chinatown atmosphere. Looking forward to his new one, Snakes Can't Run, in March.
acinthedc's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read about being a minority within a minority and struggling to belong with so many cultural expectations (both American, Chinese, and Chinese American). Crime and addiction help keep the story moving. A nice snapshot of one type of American life in the 1970s.
maxfetter's review against another edition
1.0
This is a bust. It feels like alcoholics anonymous propaganda disguised as a detective story. Lin's themes are so repetitive, and the "murder plot" is ridiculously undeveloped. It's as if he didn't have any interest in writing that part when he could just lean so heavily on Chinese-American generational and cultural-clashes, cliché Vietnam-Vet anger/PTSD, and alcohol-abuse to drive the plot. This book doesn't bring a single thing new to the table except (for me) perhaps descriptions of '70s New York City Chinatown, which I'll admit is an interesting setting.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
Robert Chow is not a happy man. When he joined the New York Police Department and was assigned to Chinatown, he thought he would be making a real different for his community. After all, he spoke Cantonese. He grew up there. But as the only officer of Chinese descent in the NYPD, Chow is nothing more than a PR tool. He walks a beat most of the time, except when he is called in to be a Chinese face at some public event. This is a Bust, by Ed Lin, tells Chow’s story as he races for rock bottom in the summer of 1976...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from Edelweiss for review consideration.
ssohn's review against another edition
5.0
In some ways, this isn't the typical detective novel in that it concentrates more on the life of the detective rather than a preoccupation with the mystery.
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