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A review by lindseyhall44
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
reflective
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
“This was her punishment for questioning the world as it was, instead of swallowing it blind like an obedient child.”
Disorientation is a satirical campus novel following Ingrid, a Taiwanese -American student, who discovers a secret while working on her dissertation, upending life as she knows it.
This book is incredibly smart in its plot formatting as well as narrative perspective, for as Ingrid discovers problematic behaviors -such as cultural appropriation and fetishization- in the corrupt academic setting, she also finds traces of these in her own life. The character development stemming from this is where really Chou shines, crafting a mindset of growth and change.
I whole heartedly recommend Disorientation as your next read, though as always, please check trigger warnings before picking it up!
Disorientation is a satirical campus novel following Ingrid, a Taiwanese -American student, who discovers a secret while working on her dissertation, upending life as she knows it.
This book is incredibly smart in its plot formatting as well as narrative perspective, for as Ingrid discovers problematic behaviors -such as cultural appropriation and fetishization- in the corrupt academic setting, she also finds traces of these in her own life. The character development stemming from this is where really Chou shines, crafting a mindset of growth and change.
I whole heartedly recommend Disorientation as your next read, though as always, please check trigger warnings before picking it up!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking, Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Islamophobia