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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually tried to read this last year and put it down — not because it wasn’t good, but because I wasn’t in the right headspace. Picked it up again while on holiday and flew through it. Real Americans completely hit the spot.
I’ve always loved a generational novel, and this one balances character and structure so well. It unfolds in three parts — from Lily in 1999, to her son Nick in 2021, and finally Mei, Lily’s mother, in 2030. I found the pacing immersive, the themes timely but not preachy, and the writing subtly beautiful.
Khong weaves together big questions — identity, class, inheritance, belonging — through the intimate lens of a single family across decades. There’s a quiet confidence to how she lets some threads fray and others come full circle. The science element surprised me but added another dimension, especially once Mei’s section reframes everything we thought we knew.
This is a novel about the gaps between generations, the things we pass on without meaning to, and the impossibility of truly escaping your own history. It's reflective without being slow, and emotional without veering into melodrama.
If you’ve ever loved Pachinko, The Vanishing Half, or Everything I Never Told You, this sits comfortably beside them.
A thoughtful, layered read that I’m glad I gave a second chance.
I’ve always loved a generational novel, and this one balances character and structure so well. It unfolds in three parts — from Lily in 1999, to her son Nick in 2021, and finally Mei, Lily’s mother, in 2030. I found the pacing immersive, the themes timely but not preachy, and the writing subtly beautiful.
Khong weaves together big questions — identity, class, inheritance, belonging — through the intimate lens of a single family across decades. There’s a quiet confidence to how she lets some threads fray and others come full circle. The science element surprised me but added another dimension, especially once Mei’s section reframes everything we thought we knew.
This is a novel about the gaps between generations, the things we pass on without meaning to, and the impossibility of truly escaping your own history. It's reflective without being slow, and emotional without veering into melodrama.
If you’ve ever loved Pachinko, The Vanishing Half, or Everything I Never Told You, this sits comfortably beside them.
A thoughtful, layered read that I’m glad I gave a second chance.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A powerful intergenerational tale of a Chinese-American family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide
I wish we’d dug into the characters more- there was a surface level quality to a book seeking to better understand and explicate the depths of human experience
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes