Reviews

this book hypothetically has so many things i enjoy— a diverse cast, unreliable narrators, a strong mystery— but the execution falls so flat. so much of the four hundred something page novel spends paragraphs regurgitating information we were given from the beginning. while i’m sure the repetition is supposed to engrave in us the trauma the characters have undergone, but it gets so repetitive. i trudged through to find out the truth, but even that was anticlimactic and a huge let down. while the author crafts some beautiful sentences, the substance feels lost on these rather unlikable characters. the author tells us repeatedly that sunny is a good mom, she really is, but nothing about her shows us that! there’s so much miscommunication and while i think the author wants us to feel bad for sunny, i couldn’t bring myself to when so much of the novel shows a refusal to understand the others in her life— save for the random stranger who she doesn’t actually doesn’t understand. with all the pages in this novel, it is truly astounding at how little actually happens. kim offers some beautiful insight on relationships between people of color in america and the role of women of color in america, especially those dependent on their spouses, but that’s all there is to this novel.

joonsmoonchild89's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

malalaisee's review

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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