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martinatan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Racism, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content, Medical content, Cannibalism, and Murder
kkulhannie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
toffishay'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
applesodaperson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
Read from the BYU library.
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
blueyogi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, and Xenophobia
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, and Sexual harassment
rosemaryandrue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The writing combines an unnerving flat affect with startlingly beautiful turns of phrase, and the each story are dense enough in its own way that I was left with something to chew over long after I'd finished listening to it. My favorite stories were "Peking Duck," which discusses if a daughter can claim ownership of her mother's disturbing encounter with a door-to-door salesman, and "Returning," where a couple return to an ancestral country to see a festival in which participants bury themselves alive to transform themselves.
However, sometimes the detachment of the narrators starts to become a bit much - they all seemed to be a little too similar to each other, anxious, alienated women with unsatisfying lives, as though we were seeing the same person in alternate universes. I felt that if there had been more variation in the main characters, the stories could have tapped a richer vein of themes to explore. Some of the stories were also too opaque and open-ended for my taste - "Yeti Lovemaking" in particular comes to mind.
I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Katharine Chin. I thought she did an excellent job - her gentle tone captures the detached yet conflicted tone of the narrators, but also conveys the strongly ironic strain that permeates many of the stories. This is a case where the choice of narrator really elevates the experience of the book.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
perkyanda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
ninahuynh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
robinks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexism
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content