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fionamclary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Three Women of Chuck's Donuts: 2.75/5. It was fine, with a theme self-contained enough for the scope of the story. Not terribly interesting however.
Superking Son Scores Again: 1/5. Easily the worst in the collection. I guess I get the point of the story but my god it was so boring. The author did nothing to make me invested in the characters. I felt like I was listening to a stoned teenager telling a story full of pointless details and not at all caring whether or not the events were relevant or interesting to their audience.
Maly, Maly, Maly: 3/5. Again, pretty boring, but I did connect with the feeling of both having empathy for someone going through a tough time while also resenting them for not noticing or caring about your own struggles.
The Shop: 3.5/5. This was the one where my interest finally started picking up, where I actually cared about the characters.
The Monks: 2.5/5. This one was weird. I suppose the stories of 20-year-old straight men feeling lost in life must be told, but I don't have to read them.
We Would've Been Princes: 3.5/5. Finally, some real character work! Fully fleshed-out interpersonal relationships! I also felt like So cared about these main characters a lot -- I could feel their complicated emotions about themselves, each other, and their community through the page.
Human Development: 4.75/5. This one was really good. The critique of mainstream 2010s liberal identity politics was subtle but powerful and really hit home for me. It's clear that this was the most autobiographical story in the collection, with the main character sharing the author's first name, and I think that may have leant a good deal of strength to this one.
Somaly Serey, Serey Somaly: 4/5. This one felt sort of unifying given how many previous characters it featured. The exploration of generational trauma was compassionate, yet unrelenting and sharp.
Generational Differences: 5/5. Short and to the point, and strong for that. It felt fitting to finish the collection with a story about a woman who has escaped the genocide only to immigrate into the most American form of death, a school shooting. The ways that survival and violence become inevitable, the difficulty of integrating a survivor identity without passing on too much generational trauma. This one was direct, the theme laid bare without feeling at all didactic or inelegant.
Maybe I'm just a dumb scientist who doesn't Get It because I haven't studied Literature enough, but this collection felt very choppy in quality and tone. However, I'm pleased that there were some stories that I really liked and am glad to have read. In these times I think it's important to heed writers whose families have been through genocide, and I hope we see more Cambodian/Khmer authors filling the gap left by So's sudden and untimely death.
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Alcohol
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Homophobia
fkshg8465's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abandonment, and Alcohol
amberinpieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Cursing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Dementia, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
ukponge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Genocide, and Suicide
mollymdull's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Infidelity, Sexual content, Mass/school shootings, and War
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Drug use and Suicide
sionnac's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: War
Minor: Suicide
robinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Excrement, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Miscarriage, Vomit, and Pregnancy
caroliiineb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Genocide and Racism
Minor: Death, Gun violence, and Suicide
emmehooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
beautiful prose sharing glimpses into American Khmer existences, generational trauma, and queerness .
Graphic: Addiction, Genocide, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage and Vomit
onewoman_bookclub's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Genocide
Moderate: Gun violence and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Addiction and Suicide