Reviews

Braised Pork by An Yu

butzjenna's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

orlily's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

coffee_mait's review against another edition

2.5

it'd lap at the edges of something interesting (in a slightly surreal mystery way regarding the husband's elusive death) or profound (in a literary way exploring female agency and ennui) but never reeled me in completely

ael1997's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-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

4.0

bbildanainat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

jentidders's review against another edition

2.0

Braised Pork is Beijing-born An Yu's magical realist tale about Jia Jia, a young widow coping in the aftermath of finding her husband drowned in their bathtub. It is unclear whether his death is accident or suicide, the only clue being a sketch of a fish-man he dreamt of, left on a piece of folded paper. Struggling to afford to continue living in their apartment, Jia Jia sets off on a voyage of self-discovery through backstreet bars, rural Tibet and a parallel world of water and mystery.

This novel is the very definition of a slow burn, and I'm not sure I fully understood all of the imagery. It's beautifully written for sure, but this tale of fish did not fully 'hook' me in (sorry!).

obviouschild96's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

_camd_'s review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious slow-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

4.0

Poetic. All about the vibes. Mystical. Complex characters. 

taffymyametalumi's review against another edition

4.0

It took me a bit to realize what this book was about, but once I understood I started to like it a lot! After her husband dies in their bathtub, Wu Jia Jia finds a mysterious drawing of a fishman by his body. She could never connect with him when he was alive, so she goes on a journey to discover the origin of the fishman drawing. This is a story about human and family connections, about the weight of guilt, and the freedom of letting go.

I'm gonna lie, it's a strange story, and I didn't like the beginning of the story much, but the middle and ending were lovely. Jia Jia grew on me over the course of the story, but I didn't think too much about the other characters. This truly felt like her story.

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy :)

tmwwt's review against another edition

3.0

When Jia Jia’s husband kills himself seemingly out of nowhere, leaving her nothing but a sketch of a “fish-man,” she finds herself traveling between both different cities and different worlds seeking the truth about her marriage, her family, and herself.

Jia Jia is an easily digestible protagonist, and the story is quaint but emotional. I also really liked the side character, Leo.

Chapter 17 really knocked it out of the park.

Happy to have read this one!