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modeislodis's review against another edition
2.0
So, so depressing. I'd give it the side-eye when it came time to pick it back up (my choice for a book club read, otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it). As fellow book-clubber Ariel observed, we don't see a lot of growth in the characters. Yuki remains a loner without any love for herself, Odile remains vile and self-absorbed, Lou stays violent to and unsatisfied by the woman he's coupled with. The writing was strong, though, and is probably the best compliment I can offer about this one.
kelseydkim's review against another edition
5.0
This is such a lovely read! I'm completely enchanted by Buchanan's debut novel (and may have stalked her Instagram, saw that she loves Mrs. Dalloway, and now I'm enchanted with her). The novel switches between two different timelines. We begin with a “coming-of-age” type story concerning the life of teenage Yuki, who ends up in New York after her parents move there from Japan. Then we switch to the perspective of Yuki’s grown son Jay, whom she abandoned when he was young, and is struggling himself as a parent. Thematically, Harmless Like You is the better version of White Oleander by Janet Finch, in my opinion. I don’t even want to compare it with that, but if you liked White Oleander, then read this because it’s much better and beautifully written. Buchanan writes in a way that forces you to come up with explanations and answers that she doesn't simply put in the text, which I think is the best kind of reading experience one can have. The two biggest things I took from this were 1) There's usually not an explanation for the pain and hardship we endure, and sometimes that's ok, and 2) We are not defined by how others have mistreated us, specifically our parents. I finished this book a few days ago, but haven't read anything else just quite yet because I want to mull this one over for a while. I can't wait for her next one.
http://bonlivres.tumblr.com/post/155877633314/harmless-like-you-by-rowan-hisayo-buchanan-55
http://bonlivres.tumblr.com/post/155877633314/harmless-like-you-by-rowan-hisayo-buchanan-55
suebarsby's review against another edition
4.0
An intriguing and mature study into loneliness, feeling 'other' & abandonment. A sympathetic main character despite me wanting to shake her out of her torpor at times.
romcm's review against another edition
5.0
This is a truly incredible book. It is SO well written, so perfectly constructed in terms of plot and the characters are so lovingly drawn... I just loved it. A man and his mother share their complicated relationship with the reader. But each of their own lives are also beautiful, heartbreaking and deeply interesting.
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm. I still can't decide if I enjoyed this very much. It is well written, and it zipped by at a decent pace. Jay and Yuki, the main characters, are both quite hard to like and I'm not sure if I was meant to like them more, but if not it is sort of hard to care about a good chunk of this book. The description is beautiful in places but overwrought in others where things can get a bit self-consciously literary and stop making any actual sense. There's a general message that Yuki requires dysfunction in order to create art, which sort of comes off like domestic violence helped fuel her creativity, which is upsetting. The ending seemed a bit unearned, with regards to Jay's storyline. Other characters are rather thinly drawn. There's some casual fat phobia that seemed out of place. That said I was engaged by Yuki's awkward and ultimately depressing attempts to fit in and create a life for herself and interested in how the reconciliation between herself and Jay would play out. It reminded me a little of The Goldfinch at times. I would describe it as like walking around the Tate Modern alone in the midst of a depressive episode. Upsetting, occasionally violent or grotesque, but also beautiful and thought-provoking. This has turned into a really weird review but there you go.
m7mdtonsy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
souljaleonn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
_gnawknee's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Well written but the worst characters. It was torture to read. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone or reread it.
ngominh's review against another edition
4.0
Bám theo cuộc đời của người nghệ sĩ gốc Nhật Yuki Oyama vào cuối thập niên 60 của thế kỷ trước, Ngây thơ như nàng có cốt truyện song tuyến được kể bởi hai nhân vật, và cũng đồng thời là hai mẹ con, nói về quá khứ, mất mát cũng như tổn thương còn đó trong ngày hiện tại. Với cuốn sách này Rowan Hisayo Buchanan đã khắc họa một cách sáng rõ tình thế bạc nhược của những con người “lệch chuẩn” vẩn vơ trong đời sống xô bồ và cuối cùng là bị nhấn chìm trong đó.
Với cuốn tiểu thuyết đầu tay vô cùng đặc sắc, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan để lại rất nhiều dấu ấn khi đặc tả được một cộng đồng người yếm thế trong việc truy tìm căn tính, truyền đi nỗi đau, cũng như sau cùng là sự tha thứ và thấu hiểu nhau. Ngôn từ của cô đạt được tác dụng cần thiết trong những hình tượng có phần đặc biệt, khiến đây như bước khởi đầu cho những tác phẩm ấn tượng tiếp theo.
Với cuốn tiểu thuyết đầu tay vô cùng đặc sắc, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan để lại rất nhiều dấu ấn khi đặc tả được một cộng đồng người yếm thế trong việc truy tìm căn tính, truyền đi nỗi đau, cũng như sau cùng là sự tha thứ và thấu hiểu nhau. Ngôn từ của cô đạt được tác dụng cần thiết trong những hình tượng có phần đặc biệt, khiến đây như bước khởi đầu cho những tác phẩm ấn tượng tiếp theo.
marthaos's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. I saw it in the library with a recommendation on the cover by Lorrie Moore, and this is what made me choose it. The narrative voice, incidentally, reminded me very much of Lorrie Moore's, so this writer, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, will no doubt be a big name in literature in the future.
The story line of this novel centred around themes of home, art and abandonment. It was written from two main standpoints: Yuki, an artist who grows up, feeling fractured and out-of-step with her peers and family, and Jay, her son, now grown up, as he confronts his mother for the first time after her abandonment of him, just as he himself is struggling with becoming a father for the first time.
The story traces Yuki's own childhood, and journey to becoming an artist, a mother and finally herself, whom for years she rejects in favour of attaching herself to anyone else in the hope of eschewing loneliness. It traces her life through the decades, as she moves to several new places, each in the hope of finding connection. Though written in the third person, her voice is consistent throughout. She has an artist's eyes, sensitivity and sense of loneliness, which she believes for years can be healed through attaching herself to others. It takes becoming a mother to realise that aloneness doesn't necessarily equate with loneliness, and that living a lie, as she has been doing, is what makes her feel alienated and lonely.
Jay, at a transitional point in his life, is dealing with similar feelings. The point at which he becomes a father coincides with losing his own father, confronting his estranged mother and difficulties with his marriage. He has many similar feelings to those of his mother, though they manifest in different ways. He suffers from anxiety which is relieved through caring for an aging and decrepit therapy cat.
The whole structure of the book tells the story of mother and son, their journey to the present point in their lives and builds towards their meeting in Berlin, where Yuki has been living for years as an artist.
The writing was wonderful, fresh and descriptive. The voices were real and relatable. The themes, though common to literature, were dealt with uniquely and with a specificity that gave this novel a very definite edge. It is one that will stay with me for some time and I will look forward to reading future work by this very talented writer.
The story line of this novel centred around themes of home, art and abandonment. It was written from two main standpoints: Yuki, an artist who grows up, feeling fractured and out-of-step with her peers and family, and Jay, her son, now grown up, as he confronts his mother for the first time after her abandonment of him, just as he himself is struggling with becoming a father for the first time.
The story traces Yuki's own childhood, and journey to becoming an artist, a mother and finally herself, whom for years she rejects in favour of attaching herself to anyone else in the hope of eschewing loneliness. It traces her life through the decades, as she moves to several new places, each in the hope of finding connection. Though written in the third person, her voice is consistent throughout. She has an artist's eyes, sensitivity and sense of loneliness, which she believes for years can be healed through attaching herself to others. It takes becoming a mother to realise that aloneness doesn't necessarily equate with loneliness, and that living a lie, as she has been doing, is what makes her feel alienated and lonely.
Jay, at a transitional point in his life, is dealing with similar feelings. The point at which he becomes a father coincides with losing his own father, confronting his estranged mother and difficulties with his marriage. He has many similar feelings to those of his mother, though they manifest in different ways. He suffers from anxiety which is relieved through caring for an aging and decrepit therapy cat.
The whole structure of the book tells the story of mother and son, their journey to the present point in their lives and builds towards their meeting in Berlin, where Yuki has been living for years as an artist.
The writing was wonderful, fresh and descriptive. The voices were real and relatable. The themes, though common to literature, were dealt with uniquely and with a specificity that gave this novel a very definite edge. It is one that will stay with me for some time and I will look forward to reading future work by this very talented writer.