Reviews

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang

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I love Weike Wang's stuff - typically I don't like reading about my own profession but Joan's mindspace is such an interesting place to be. Dry, cutting, concise, but empathetic is such a tightrope to walk but Wang always does it with magnificent sensitivity. More vibes than plot but this is one of the few boooks that I wished was a bit loonger to show more growth and create more closure

tor601's review

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hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

heartofoak1's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

daumari's review

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4.0

Unintentional resonance reading this alongside [b:Permission to Come Home: Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|58950949|Permission to Come Home Reclaiming Mental Health as Asian Americans|Jenny Wang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644346055l/58950949._SY75_.jpg|92907297], as Joan feels like a character who largely doesn't give herself permission to feel or to take time off... but in some ways, it's because it simply never occurs to her. When confronted about overwork, she's confused about what she would do with all that extra time. I was also largely reminded of [b:Convenience Store Woman|38357895|Convenience Store Woman|Sayaka Murata|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523623053l/38357895._SY75_.jpg|51852264], also about a 30-something single woman whose friends/family expect her to have an interest in pursuing a romantic relationship and professional ambitions when she's perfectly content to exist as she is, to be a cog in the machine because machines need cogs to function.

The novel takes places from fall 2019 through spring 2020, where the COVID-19 pandemic starts creeping in as a side character but not the main focus- I'm definitely curious to see how this time period will manifest in fictional works, and this is the first I've read acknowledging the lurking anxiety and sense of dread the diaspora felt as we read reports, heard from our colleagues (including the, "why worry it's on the other side of the world"), and saw increased attacks on our community. For Joan, though, it's a reason to come back to work after being forced to use bereavement leave for an extended break.

A short read, dry but packed more of a punch than [b:The Bachelor|55655098|The Bachelor|Andrew Palmer|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617706912l/55655098._SX50_.jpg|86787188] which might be the last literary fiction I read (a year ago).