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clusterf_cked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and War
bookedandbusy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, and War
Minor: Child death, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
readbycarina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child death and War
hoppskotch's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bekkah_co's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If I had to select commonalities that were present throughout the fifteen stories, it would be the following:
- Asian (specifically Chinese)-American experiences
- Chinese experiences
- severe melancholy / anxiety
As I read, all of the stories started to blur together. This person didn't have money, this person was dissatisfied with their life, their parents are divorced, etc. I don't think there was a single short story in this that stood out as particularly unique from the rest in the collection.
The one saving grace of this book was the craftmanship. Chang's writing, stylistically, was a treat. I was able to breeze through the text without feeling like I was missing any pertinent details. I believe if I would have encountered each of these short stories individually, I may have enjoyed them more. Perhaps that's my fault for reading the collection all in one go.
When I began reading, I was optimistic. "Unknown by Unknown" by far was my favorite. It was a good way to begin the collection, but the suspense built within its own pages did not pay off. It was misleading to the rest of the contents in the book. I will say, I did nearly DNF the book with the ending of "Phenotype" because what the hell.
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Abortion and War
elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Abortion, and War