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olap's review
medium-paced
3.75
Lowering the rating for wasted potential. At the start I thought it would be a rare 5 star read: the story was flowing, characters were quirky, language was powerful, there was an element of the uncanny. Then the unnecessary and cringy sex scenes appeared, like in the author's previous book, suddenly ruining a perfectly good story. But the final letdown was the ending, where the girl lurkers are glossed over, the Park girls never mourn, and it's unclear who the lurkers were supposed to be in the fiest place and what was the point of the story.
colorfulleo92's review
3.0
I've tried to come up what I want to say about this book for many hours now but I don't have anything really to say. Didn't left an enough impression on me to me to have any opion on it. Don't know how I really feelt for it.
karlymarcy's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Suicide, Racism, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Rape and Adult/minor relationship
audimka's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
adamskiboy528491's review
3.0
Lurkers by Sandi Tan made me realise that one of my favourite tropes in literary fiction is when an author writes an intimate portrait about a dysfunctional community, where you, the reader, get to vicariously engross the dark secrets and troubled histories of the inhabitants of an isolated microcosm and how their interactions are shaped by one another and overlap in mysterious ways. It's honestly so fascinating to me, kind of like watching a human ant farm collapse before your eyes.
Korean American sisters Mira and Rosemary find their world rocked by suicide, and they must fight to keep their home; a charismatic and creepy drama teacher grooms his students; a sardonic gay horror novelist finds that ageing is more frightening than any monster, and a white hippie mom and her adopted Vietnamese daughter realise that their anger binds them rather than pushes them apart. The story continues as the daughters try to assimilate into the American dream. The other community dwellers in their neighbourhood add more eccentricity and daring to the story. Their lives crisscross, and the reader becomes the audience of three generations.
Lurkers is quite a dark book to sit through. This isn't a feel-good domestic drama where even the bad things that happen are very cut and dry and result in satisfying consequences, such as Big Little Lies. This isn't an ethical or moral book, but it shows a mirror of real life. It's a pretty dark book with the feeling of drama that can happen. It may be short on plot, but it is long on character study!
nuhafariha's review
5.0
Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for the Reader's Copy!
Now available.
By turns revolting and addictive, Sandi Tan's The Lurkers is a lurid read that keeps readers hooked. Told by a cast of unruly narrators, each ruled by a fatal flaw, the novel traces life in suburban California. From spiteful retired writer Raymond to Rosemary's young teenage lust to Mary Sue's unflappable spirit, there is such variety in this cast of misfits. Tan masterfully splays their lives, their motivations, their yearnings and secrets in moments of dramatic irony. Like the title suggests, these are the lurkers, the half shadowy lives lived under the shade of ignorance and bliss. An enjoyable read, especially if you like character driven novels!
Now available.
By turns revolting and addictive, Sandi Tan's The Lurkers is a lurid read that keeps readers hooked. Told by a cast of unruly narrators, each ruled by a fatal flaw, the novel traces life in suburban California. From spiteful retired writer Raymond to Rosemary's young teenage lust to Mary Sue's unflappable spirit, there is such variety in this cast of misfits. Tan masterfully splays their lives, their motivations, their yearnings and secrets in moments of dramatic irony. Like the title suggests, these are the lurkers, the half shadowy lives lived under the shade of ignorance and bliss. An enjoyable read, especially if you like character driven novels!
iantaylor's review
4.0
Lurkers is like a weird-core version of Little Children (by Tom Perrotta), and I loved every minute of it.