Scan barcode
A review by yuna
The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-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
3.5
This was a raw read, but a necessary one given how taboo mental health/illness is even now, especially in Asian culture. Anna is empathetic and lovable as she struggles to keep it together while having to manage her family's issues alongside everyday teen stuff. I loved her relationship with her siblings (Team Lily all the way). Her grappling with diaspora identity and filial piety and cultural values, and the positives and shortcomings of all those things, will probably be relatable for a lot of readers.
Liked Anna's arc, though it felt like she regressed at the end with regard to her mom's relapse and that wasn't really addressed? There's also a lot more emphasis in the latter half of the book on her chasing this sense of normalcy that's not real, and her realization moment for that is over with really quick and didn't land with much impact for me.
I mostly liked the Anna-Rory relationship if I didn't think about the age gap. He's a good sounding board and one to speak truths to Anna's biases. His character feels only a couple years older than her, very much in 18-19ish range. But if I stop and think about the vague references to how long ago it was since he dropped out of high school I think he's actually more in the 20-21+ range to her 16. Which...I'm not a fan of. Especially since he's written to seem younger, why not have him be younger? Also felt like their sex "scene" (not really a scene, more like two sentences referencing that they did it) was thrown in there just to be low-grade scandalous? Anna doesn't remark on it at all afterward! A girl who is constantly struggling with being a bad Chinese daughter and got all flushy about riding alone in a car with a boy and then her first time gets a sentence and that's it? I'm not buying it. Felt like the age gap and the sex were just there to be edgy or something without any substance.
Liked Anna's arc, though it felt like she regressed at the end
I mostly liked the Anna-Rory relationship if I didn't think about the age gap. He's a good sounding board and one to speak truths to Anna's biases. His character feels only a couple years older than her, very much in 18-19ish range. But if I stop and think about the vague references to how long ago it was since he dropped out of high school I think he's actually more in the 20-21+ range to her 16. Which...I'm not a fan of. Especially since he's written to seem younger, why not have him be younger? Also felt like their sex "scene" (not really a scene, more like two sentences referencing that they did it) was thrown in there just to be low-grade scandalous? Anna doesn't remark on it at all afterward! A girl who is constantly struggling with being a bad Chinese daughter and got all flushy about riding alone in a car with a boy and then her first time gets a sentence and that's it? I'm not buying it. Felt like the age gap and the sex were just there to be edgy or something without any substance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Forced institutionalization