caseythereader's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Dementia, and Medical content
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Sexual harassment and Fatphobia
cassimiranda's review against another edition
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Dementia
Moderate: Fatphobia and Transphobia
krys_kilz's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
I had a hard time getting into this book - there were just a lot of fatphobic remarks and other comments that didn't sit quite right with me in the beginning. But once I got beyond the first two chapters, I really enjoyed the final three.
I liked the voice Otsuka wrote from - the first-person plural we and the second-person singular you. It blurs the distinction between the collective and the individual and complicates conceptions of the "self." Even with the sort of disembodied narration style, the story is still incredibly emotional and heartbreaking.
I loved the mirroring between the cracks forming in the pool and the fog descending on Alice's mind. It was a very clever parallel about being with the unknown, losing pieces of yourself, and the painfulness of a community coming to an end. It also really makes you reflect on how we treat elders in the so called united states - the isolation, abuse, and exile from community we put them and their families through.
tw: dementia, forced institutionalization, death of a parent, Japanese internment camps
I liked the voice Otsuka wrote from - the first-person plural we and the second-person singular you. It blurs the distinction between the collective and the individual and complicates conceptions of the "self." Even with the sort of disembodied narration style, the story is still incredibly emotional and heartbreaking.
I loved the mirroring between the cracks forming in the pool and the fog descending on Alice's mind. It was a very clever parallel about being with the unknown, losing pieces of yourself, and the painfulness of a community coming to an end. It also really makes you reflect on how we treat elders in the so called united states - the isolation, abuse, and exile from community we put them and their families through.
tw: dementia, forced institutionalization, death of a parent, Japanese internment camps
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Forced institutionalization, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child death and Fatphobia
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