abroadwell's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this, but kept picking up something else, so it took me a long time to finish it.
Chang-rae Lee is very evidently a terrific writer at the paragraph level, hitting it out of the park. But over the longer run, I don't find the plots sufficiently engaging to keep me coming back.
This is, no doubt, my problem and not his! But although I enjoyed the book, it was a struggle to finish it. [18 days -- about twice as long as usual for me]
Chang-rae Lee is very evidently a terrific writer at the paragraph level, hitting it out of the park. But over the longer run, I don't find the plots sufficiently engaging to keep me coming back.
This is, no doubt, my problem and not his! But although I enjoyed the book, it was a struggle to finish it. [18 days -- about twice as long as usual for me]
claire_melanie's review against another edition
2.0
I liked and disliked this book in equal measure but the OTT ending tipped it towards the negative. Give it a miss
evanscat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
averyt's review against another edition
reflective
slow-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
3.75
frogjeanine's review against another edition
3.0
part political thriller, part deep delve into what it means to be Asian in the US
wildblackberrydays's review against another edition
5.0
Chang-Rae Lee did it again! Fabulous book, vicious, unforgiving.
drgnhrt968's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sogeegf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
markw's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Took me a while to get in tune with one, perhaps because of the oblique nature of a lot of the writing and dialogue, but by the final third I was completely gripped.
Henry Park is a first-generation American Korean who works as a kind of undercover spy or detective, embedding himself in organisations and reporting back to his boss, the ruthless Dennis, for the benefit of the unknown (to Henry) client.
As the blub on my edition says, it's about "the immigrant experience, about love, loyalty and the languages that define us". It's also about racism, betrayal (loyalty's partner), and the American dream.
Henry speaks some Korean, learned in his childhood, but not confidently, and has the first-generation immigrant experience of being neither one thing nor the other. It's no accident that his wife, Lelia, is a childhood speech and language therapist.
Prior to the action of the novel, Henry has gone badly adrift in a placement: posing as a client/patient of a therapist in order to report on him, he is drawn to the man (a kind of "going native"?) and has to be extracted in professional disgrace by his handler Jack. About this time his wife Lelie has apparently lost faith in him and departed for the Greek islands. Henry is then placed with the team of John Kwang, a local politician, the first Korean Councilman in the borough. Henry is effective in his role as mole because he is able to get close to his targets, but this puts him the position of either betraying the target or betraying his boss by not doing so.
Henry Park is a first-generation American Korean who works as a kind of undercover spy or detective, embedding himself in organisations and reporting back to his boss, the ruthless Dennis, for the benefit of the unknown (to Henry) client.
As the blub on my edition says, it's about "the immigrant experience, about love, loyalty and the languages that define us". It's also about racism, betrayal (loyalty's partner), and the American dream.
Henry speaks some Korean, learned in his childhood, but not confidently, and has the first-generation immigrant experience of being neither one thing nor the other. It's no accident that his wife, Lelia, is a childhood speech and language therapist.
Prior to the action of the novel, Henry has gone badly adrift in a placement: posing as a client/patient of a therapist in order to report on him, he is drawn to the man (a kind of "going native"?) and has to be extracted in professional disgrace by his handler Jack. About this time his wife Lelie has apparently lost faith in him and departed for the Greek islands. Henry is then placed with the team of John Kwang, a local politician, the first Korean Councilman in the borough. Henry is effective in his role as mole because he is able to get close to his targets, but this puts him the position of either betraying the target or betraying his boss by not doing so.