A review by fe_lea
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Disorientation is an academic satire that deals with white supremacy, racism and colonialism in academia, and the model minority myth that’s perfect for fans of yellowface.

I only picked this up after getting disappointed by Yellowface because I was told they were similar, and there were similarities, except, I found this one funnier. Ingrid, the MC, was so frustrating to read at first. I almost gave up because the writing style (or maybe satire isn’t for me? I dunno) wasn’t really my kind of jam, and the characters all felt like cookie cutouts but I suppose that was really the point? The moment I got over that, I started to enjoy the book, and somewhere in the middle things got interesting. The book was a little too heavy handed for me but it started asking questions that added some nuance, especially with the MC.