Reviews

Must I Go by Yiyun Li

aiam_6's review against another edition

i tried SO HARD. the guy was lowkey insufferable and the book just kept going back to him for longer stretches than necessary. ngl the story could’ve been told with greater value in less pages xxx (it also got WEIRDLY dark…)

littleloren's review

emotional slow-paced

4.0

oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition

The problem with one Interesting Character reading and wittily commenting on the memoirs of a Not Particularly Interesting Character, is that anything featuring the NPIC becomes something of a slog. I enjoyed Lilia's hard as nails POV and her somewhat misanthropic philosophy gave the novel moments of needed bite and humour, but overall the format and progress couldn't hold my interest. I couldn't muster the care I should have had for Roland to stay engaged, and the odd compelling paragraph or insight wasn't enough to rally me either. Finished it, but skimmed more than read the final third.

matildatc's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

jessicaacurry's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

oak_55's review against another edition

2.0

yappertown, population this book

biolexicon's review against another edition

4.0

This book primarily focuses on Lilia, a 81 year old grandmother who has lived a full life she's now exploring using the diary of a former lover. This is a slow burn, which overall was satisfying but, for me, did drag in a couple places. Lilia's interaction with the diary itself includes her relationship with the former lover, but also serves as a launching pad for the exploration of Lilia's life itself and her relationship with her daughter. I very much appreciated that this women wasn't only viewed through the lens of her romantic relationships, but as a person herself and as a mother. The layered emotions this book creates overall made it an enjoyable read.

eym's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

sloanemarie's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

personarobot's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

3.75

Objectively, 3.75 stars. 
Personally, 2.5 stars. Just kidding, that's quite harsh. 3.75 stars is fair enough. 

Having briefly read the author's biography, the book is a likely reflection of some of the thoughts and experiences that the author went through. 

The story is all very human. Unfortunately human. So human that I dislike Lilia, and obviously Roland. Prior to the diary entries, I didn't mind Lilia. However, as her thoughts rolled out (pun unintended?), my dislike of her grew more and more. I began to feel sorry for everyone else, for Hetty, for Katherine, for Lucy. 
And to be quite honest, it's quite difficult to take Lilia seriously

because she's still vying for the same man she slept with when she was 16, whilst he was 35 YEARS OLD. PLEASE.

. 

It's worth a read, even for the aesthetic, for the cover of the book. It's worth getting annoyed, getting angry, frustrated. It's worth reading for a feeling, an unsatisfied feeling. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Suicide