tylatyger91's review against another edition
I will pick it up again - just couldnt get into it right now
brettpet's review
3.0
I'm pretty conflicted on Your House Will Pay. It's an ambitious effort that wraps mystery, social justice, and family drama into a tight plot with little filler. Steph Cha does a great job of giving each of the characters (and this book is chock-full of characters) a unique personality and motivation (aside from one character, who has a sort of confusing alterior motive revealed later in the book). I didn't find any issue with the prose throughout Pay—its effective and well-utilized, acting as a solid foundation for the story.
The largest issue I had with the novel was that I felt Steph Cha didn't do enough in regards to the real murder case this story is based on, the killing of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins. The crux of this novel is based on a beat-for-beat retelling of the Harlins case, but considering how much of the story revolves around this, I'm a bit baffled on why this didn't end up being a nonfiction book. I also greatly preferred Shawn's (one of the two narrators) story and family drama to Grace, the other narrator. Maybe this was due to me listening to the audiobook and finding Shawn's actor, Glenn Davis, much more lifelike than Grace's actor, Greta Jung.
I don't hesitate to reccomend Your House Will Pay to anyone looking for a tightly-crafted novel based on a tragic civil rights case. I can't help but draw comparison to Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys which is also a fiction novel based on real racial injustice, but takes more liberties and risks with it's story. This is really a one-and-done book, and I don't expect to ever read or think about it much again.
The largest issue I had with the novel was that I felt Steph Cha didn't do enough in regards to the real murder case this story is based on, the killing of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins. The crux of this novel is based on a beat-for-beat retelling of the Harlins case, but considering how much of the story revolves around this, I'm a bit baffled on why this didn't end up being a nonfiction book. I also greatly preferred Shawn's (one of the two narrators) story and family drama to Grace, the other narrator. Maybe this was due to me listening to the audiobook and finding Shawn's actor, Glenn Davis, much more lifelike than Grace's actor, Greta Jung.
I don't hesitate to reccomend Your House Will Pay to anyone looking for a tightly-crafted novel based on a tragic civil rights case. I can't help but draw comparison to Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys which is also a fiction novel based on real racial injustice, but takes more liberties and risks with it's story. This is really a one-and-done book, and I don't expect to ever read or think about it much again.
aundreaspencer's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. I am in awe at how well the author told this story from two very different perspectives and experiences. The many layers of deep and conflicting emotions were written very insightfully.
ciarafrances's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
gatohelado's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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
4.5
momadvice's review against another edition
4.0
Drawing inspiration from the harrowing true events of the early 1990s that shook Los Angeles, this gripping crime fiction novel delves into the aftermath of the Rodney King beatings and the tragic murder of Latasha Harlins.
While most readers will be familiar with the details of the Rodney King case, you may be unfamiliar with the murder of Latasha Harlins by a Korean convenience store clerk, evoking additional riots in the spring of 1992.
Ripped from the headlines, Latasha Harlins was an African-American girl fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du, a 49-year-old Korean-American convenience store owner. It's through this case that Cha crafts her story.
Given two fictional perspectives through the brother of the victim and the eyes of the convenience store clerk's daughter, the author expertly crafts two moving views on racial tensions between these communities and the fallout after the crime.
I watched and read several interviews with Cha to see how the author pulled off these two family perspectives in such a magnificent way that both challenged and immersed me in this story. This NPR interview, in particular, was an eye-opening read on racial stereotypes and the miscarriage of justice she perceived in this heartbreaking case.
In a concise 299 pages, Cha delivers a tautly woven story that unapologetically and unabashedly examines enduring racial tensions between the African-American and Korean-American communities during and after the LA riots.
This Los Angeles Times Book Prize-winning novel will be a MomAdvice Book Club selection for 2024.
sjyudelson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
tossied's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0