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grboph's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
This was simply a great book. I loved all of the characters, the story was captivating and emotional, and Ko is a wonderful writer - I'd definitely seek out other books of hers. It also sheds light on an important societal issue, and I think it's a very important thing to be aware of. I'd recommend this book to anyone who lives in the United States or anyone who likes good stories about families.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, and Deportation
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Abortion
claudiamacpherson's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I read this book for my university’s alumni virtual book club, and let me tell you, there is no other reason I finished it. I ended up liking the ending better than the first two-thirds of the book, but there’s no way I would have made it that far if I didn’t have a reason to be reading it. I found Deming/Daniel an annoying and frustrating character. I tend to have difficulty reading stories about addiction, so his gambling problem quickly became too much for me. I did, however, really like the details about his synesthesia (and how it connected to his mother), and Peilan/Polly’s struggles with her relationship to motherhood. Also, as difficult as it was to read, Peilan/Polly’s experience in a detention camp felt important and informative to read, as well as very timely given the current problems with immigration and abuse of immigrants on the US border.
Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe): Actually not too bad. Not completely happy, and definitely not neatly wrapper up, but the ending was more on the positive side than I was expecting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Cursing, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, and Violence