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kristin_roemer's review against another edition
4.0
Complex and sad. Audiobook done well with two narrators.
craiget's review against another edition
4.0
A terrific book--well written and a very interesting plot. I think this would be a great book to discuss among friends.
gregz_newdorkreviewofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
First appeared at https://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.com/2020/04/your-house-will-pay-race-and-justice-in.html
The overwhelming sentiment regarding Steph Cha's fantastic literary thriller Your House Will Pay about race and justice in modern Los Angeles is "Why isn't this novel a HUGE hit?!" That's what two booksellers I work with have said, and it's the reason I picked it up....and they're right! This novel should be a smash, and maybe it still will be, but it's definitely flying under the radar right now.
Though it has only 2,600 ratings on Goodreads (that's a tiny number for a book with as much pre-pub buzz as this one had), it still has an impressive 4.1 average rating. It also recently won the Los Angeles Times 2020 Book Prize for best Thriller. Hopefully that's a sign that this book is starting to gain momentum. (It was published in October, 2019.)
With commentary on police violence, racism, Black Lives Matter, viral videos, and more, it's a novel of our times, for sure. But it's based on an actual crime that happened in 1991 — except, to tell you what that is gives away a major plot point you should read to discover yourself.
The first scene in the novel, though, is a riot due to a Los Angeles movie theater showing New Jack City denying entry to some African Americans who had already bought tickets. This, which mirrors real-life violence around the movie's opening, was only a few days after the widely viewed Rodney King beating, so tensions were already high.
Then, we fast-forward to modern Los Angeles, and the story of two families, one Korean, one African American. Grace Park is 27, a pharmacist at her family's store, and still living at home. Grace is fairly sheltered, so when the big reveal of the novel happens, she's not really equipped to deal with everything that happens as a result.
Shawn, however, present as a 12-year-old kid at the opening 1991 riot scene, is picking up his cousin Ray from jail — Ray's just finished a 10-year stint. Shawn is a former gangster himself, but has gotten his life together, and now lives with his girlfriend and her young daughter. Shawn has helped raise Ray's two kids while he was in jail, as well.
The fates of these two families will soon collide in the present, just as they did in the past. The collision, then as now, is because of an act of violence. And Cha deals skillfully with all the moral complexity presented in the conflict between these two families.
Despite covering 28 years, this is a taut, tense thriller. There is certainly a lot going on here, but Cha deftly handles these several threads of story, weaving them into a ball seething with racial tension, family strife, and so much more. Highly recommended!
The overwhelming sentiment regarding Steph Cha's fantastic literary thriller Your House Will Pay about race and justice in modern Los Angeles is "Why isn't this novel a HUGE hit?!" That's what two booksellers I work with have said, and it's the reason I picked it up....and they're right! This novel should be a smash, and maybe it still will be, but it's definitely flying under the radar right now.
Though it has only 2,600 ratings on Goodreads (that's a tiny number for a book with as much pre-pub buzz as this one had), it still has an impressive 4.1 average rating. It also recently won the Los Angeles Times 2020 Book Prize for best Thriller. Hopefully that's a sign that this book is starting to gain momentum. (It was published in October, 2019.)
With commentary on police violence, racism, Black Lives Matter, viral videos, and more, it's a novel of our times, for sure. But it's based on an actual crime that happened in 1991 — except, to tell you what that is gives away a major plot point you should read to discover yourself.
The first scene in the novel, though, is a riot due to a Los Angeles movie theater showing New Jack City denying entry to some African Americans who had already bought tickets. This, which mirrors real-life violence around the movie's opening, was only a few days after the widely viewed Rodney King beating, so tensions were already high.
Then, we fast-forward to modern Los Angeles, and the story of two families, one Korean, one African American. Grace Park is 27, a pharmacist at her family's store, and still living at home. Grace is fairly sheltered, so when the big reveal of the novel happens, she's not really equipped to deal with everything that happens as a result.
Shawn, however, present as a 12-year-old kid at the opening 1991 riot scene, is picking up his cousin Ray from jail — Ray's just finished a 10-year stint. Shawn is a former gangster himself, but has gotten his life together, and now lives with his girlfriend and her young daughter. Shawn has helped raise Ray's two kids while he was in jail, as well.
The fates of these two families will soon collide in the present, just as they did in the past. The collision, then as now, is because of an act of violence. And Cha deals skillfully with all the moral complexity presented in the conflict between these two families.
Despite covering 28 years, this is a taut, tense thriller. There is certainly a lot going on here, but Cha deftly handles these several threads of story, weaving them into a ball seething with racial tension, family strife, and so much more. Highly recommended!
webdoyenne's review against another edition
5.0
The first chapter didn't draw me in, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Might be the best book I've read this year. About all the grief that spirals outward over the years for the two families involved in a tragic, panic-driven shooting of a teenage girl.
rbcp82's review against another edition
4.0
The book is 300 pages long.
The first 150 pages = grade A
The last 150 pages = grade C.
The writing is wonderful. It is simple yet deep. One can read this book just for the merit of Cha's writing. It's really great.
There is a suspense going on here. A old Korean lady is shot. The mystery propels the plot in the latter half of the book. I found out who shot her about 100 pages before it was revealed (it is actually kind of obvious)
In regards to the portrayal of a black family life and a Korean family life, I can only say for the Korean family life portrayal since I'm Korean, and Cha got everything right. However, somehow the representation is all so very stereotypical and there's nothing new here, even from the black family life. Maybe I expected more from Cha's novel.
Overall, the reading experience was good, but I believe something could have been done better.
The first 150 pages = grade A
The last 150 pages = grade C.
The writing is wonderful. It is simple yet deep. One can read this book just for the merit of Cha's writing. It's really great.
There is a suspense going on here. A old Korean lady is shot. The mystery propels the plot in the latter half of the book. I found out who shot her about 100 pages before it was revealed (it is actually kind of obvious)
In regards to the portrayal of a black family life and a Korean family life, I can only say for the Korean family life portrayal since I'm Korean, and Cha got everything right. However, somehow the representation is all so very stereotypical and there's nothing new here, even from the black family life. Maybe I expected more from Cha's novel.
Overall, the reading experience was good, but I believe something could have been done better.
thistleaves's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
this book packed a punch, and God i love it. the writing format is brilliant, characters are great, and just. everything. chefs kiss
annmerry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
trippingthebookfantastic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sundayfever's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Everyone in this book sucks except for Shawn and Aunt Sheila. The book makes you uncomfortable on purpose, which is good. A deep look at anti blackness in Korean American communities.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racial slurs, Police brutality, and Medical content
ravina_b's review against another edition
4.0
Fictionalising the 1991 shooting of Latasha Harlins and the subsequent riots in LA, YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY uses dual perspectives to explore the long-term impact of racist violence on the families of both the perpetrator and the victim. The Parks and the Mathews’ lives have clearly been shaped by the events of 1991, and they are suddenly brought together again almost thirty years later following a further act of violence. Cha expertly highlights the duality to every person: Grace Park, a young Korean-American devoted to her parents, learns that being a good parent does not equate to being a good person as she struggles to reconcile her loving mother with the woman that deliberately shot a teenage girl in the back of her head; Shawn Mathews loved his sister deeply and acknowledges that she wasn’t perfect, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t deserve her life.
This is such an impactful and complex novel that highlights the long-lasting effects of intergenerational trauma. It was published in 2019 and it deals with issues that were current then, and unfortunately remain current five years later.
This is such an impactful and complex novel that highlights the long-lasting effects of intergenerational trauma. It was published in 2019 and it deals with issues that were current then, and unfortunately remain current five years later.