deborahrosegreen's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
Spoiler
Yiyun, having moved from Bejing to America, reflects on her experience in a mental health hospital after attempting suicide. She tries to justify suicide whilst condemning it through descriptions of other authors deaths such as the Zweigs. She reads the diaries and letters of dead authors to try and understand them, discusses fatalism and the concept of ‘natural language’.I deeply related to various sections, especially near the beginning, although I have to say that as it went on I felt as though the author was really overthinking certain concepts to the point where it felt uncomfortable. Perhaps that was the point. After that I didn’t enjoy it, except the section about language which I found both engaging and inspiring. Overall, I agree with the author that the book was an indulgence on her part because, with a lot of respect, I can’t think of any other reason why she would write it. It spun me in circles and flipped me upside down. Having finished, I feel dizzy rather than enlightened.
gerdash's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Suicide
ems1602's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
Started this book over a year ago, stopped at page 35. Felt I wasn’t in a good enough place to read it.
Finished it today. This book was a recommendation from the shop keeper, after I had asked for something with light in it.
This book feels like an afternoon spent under the branches of a tree; luminous at times, too bright to keep your eyes open, and you get lost figuring out shapes in the clouds of the author’s thoughts. I resonated with her relationship to language; writing; memory.
This memoir feels like a delicate watercolor.
Finished it today. This book was a recommendation from the shop keeper, after I had asked for something with light in it.
This book feels like an afternoon spent under the branches of a tree; luminous at times, too bright to keep your eyes open, and you get lost figuring out shapes in the clouds of the author’s thoughts. I resonated with her relationship to language; writing; memory.
This memoir feels like a delicate watercolor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
gjpeace's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5
There are some remarkable passages here and then there are passages where I asked myself what in the world she was talking about.
There are some remarkable passages here and then there are passages where I asked myself what in the world she was talking about.