fluffyturtle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
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
4.0
cactusash's review
5.0
I needed some more space from the outbreak of Covid before I could read this book but I’m so glad I picked it back up. It’s an engrossing story of the onset of the pandemic, but it’s a lot more than that. The pandemic is more of a backdrop to a story about independence and loneliness, familial pressures, and the pejorative meanings of different. There’s a lot of fascinating observations about human nature that I’ll be stuck on for awhile.
srfrq's review
3.0
cw: death
joan is an icu doctor and also a daughter of chinese immigrants. this book really gripped me, it might just be because i'm really emotional right now or because i saw parallels between me and joan's dad. joan's father passes away and she tries to process her grief throughout the book. that always irks me, the whole 'processing' grief as if it's some sort of product and you're a factory, like it's just supposed to go through you and not linger around you like a shadow or a ghost. i chuckled audibly at some points, snorted at others and had tears streaming down my face on the bus at one point. here are some quotes/times in the book that stuck with me:
"because how else could you be providing great service to strangers if you didn't take that time away from people who were not?" - she talks about the merit gained from neglecting your personal life to dedicate to patient care
"i said i only drank coffee from the atrium...it's where my father and i last spoke"
joan is an icu doctor and also a daughter of chinese immigrants. this book really gripped me, it might just be because i'm really emotional right now or because i saw parallels between me and joan's dad. joan's father passes away and she tries to process her grief throughout the book. that always irks me, the whole 'processing' grief as if it's some sort of product and you're a factory, like it's just supposed to go through you and not linger around you like a shadow or a ghost. i chuckled audibly at some points, snorted at others and had tears streaming down my face on the bus at one point. here are some quotes/times in the book that stuck with me:
"because how else could you be providing great service to strangers if you didn't take that time away from people who were not?" - she talks about the merit gained from neglecting your personal life to dedicate to patient care
"i said i only drank coffee from the atrium...it's where my father and i last spoke"
constantsj97's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amdaurio's review
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rounity's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book is about nothing.
There’s no plot, and this isn’t a character analysis. The writing is quirky and intelligent but can come across as boring. The audiobook was better since the narrator was good.
There’s no plot, and this isn’t a character analysis. The writing is quirky and intelligent but can come across as boring. The audiobook was better since the narrator was good.
bookishcori's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Xenophobia, and Racism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic