Review: Talking at Night (by Claire Daverly)

My Rating:  4.5 stars

One thing I wanted to establish right off the bat:  this is one of those books that is hard to place into any one genre, since it's technically a mix of several, however I would strongly caution against classifying it as a typical "romance" novel.  Sure, there's a "love story" at the core of this one, with a main "couple" that it's pretty much impossible NOT to root for (more on this later), but there is actually so much more to the story than that.  This is a story with a tremendous amount of emotional depth and nuance, told in a way that is raw, honest, heartfelt, and realistic.  

When the story first starts out, it might seem, on the surface, like "romance trope" territory:  a shy and soft-spoken good girl (who is also an ardent rule-follower) falls in love with a handsome bad boy whom we find out actually has a heart of gold despite his tortured past — but then tragedy tears them apart and they end up going down very different paths, seemingly forever…yet somehow the deep connection they share keeps pulling them back into each other's orbit. That's the general premise, but as the story progresses, we come to realize that there is so much more beneath the surface that, in the end, elevates things to a level beyond a simple love story.  There is love, yes, but also family, friendship, parental expectations, unrequited longing, missed opportunities, regret, tragedy, death, etc…and a roller coaster ride of feelings and emotions both heavy-hitting as well as lighthearted. Throughout it all — despite how many times I felt incredibly frustrated with Rosie's indecisiveness, or how many times I felt incredibly sad seeing Will's pain and anguish dredged up over and over again, or how many times this "couple" broke my heart, put it back together, then broke it all over again — I could not help rooting for them, steadfastly, unequivocally, from beginning to end.  I didn't always agree with their decisions, of course (in fact, I found myself yelling at them more than once), and truth be told that I was a bit more partial toward Will than Rosie (because, um, how could anyone not be after what he does in the later part of the story), but I still ended up loving both of them regardless.

A few comments on the writing, which I personally thought was beautifully done. I felt that there was a lyrical, rhythmic nature to the writing that seemed to ebb and flow alongside Will and Rosie's tumultuous relationship.  Now there will be aspects of the writing that may not sit well with some readers — for example, the lack of quotation marks for the dialogue, some random words and phrases that don't seem to express a complete thought, some sentences that run on for entire paragraphs — but if you become as immersed in the story as I was, you probably won't notice any of these things after awhile (as I didn't).  

This was Claire Daverly's debut novel, though it definitely didn't read like one, at least to me.  There's no doubt that I will be on the lookout for more from Daverly in the future.  In the meantime, if you're looking for a story that's poignant, powerful, and heartfelt, with believable characters that you won't be able to stop yourself from caring about, I definitely recommend picking this one up!

Received ARC from Pamela Dorman Books via NetGalley.

Review: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women (by Lisa See)

My Rating: 5 stars

Lisa See is one of my favorite authors!  I've loved every book I've read of hers so far and after finishing The Island of Sea Women (one of my all-time favorite novels) four years ago, I've been eagerly awaiting the day when her next book would be published.  Well, that day has finally arrived — her newest historical novel, Lady Tan's Circle of Women, came out earlier this month and as soon as I received my copy, I of course dropped everything in order to read it.  And once again, I was not disappointed, as this book met every expectation and then some.

In an essay at the back of the book (I bought the Barnes and Noble exclusive edition), Lisa See writes that there are generally three themes that run through all her novels: "stories about women that have been lost, forgotten, or sometimes deliberately covered up; the unique physiology that defines us as women; and our desire to record through writing our moments on earth."   In her latest work, all three of these themes are explored through the captivating story of Tan Yunxian, a real female doctor who had lived during the Ming dynasty in China. Yunxian was from an elite family in Wuxi who got sent to live with her paternal grandparents after her mother died when she was only 8 years old.  As one of China's few female physicians, Yunxian's Grandmother Ru was in the unique position of being able to treat female patients up close through the Four Examinations (looking, listening, touching, asking), which allowed her to help many women with their illnesses, especially those related to childbearing (this was important because male physicians during that time period were not allowed to do any of those things with female patients and instead had to rely on an intermediary to pass messages back-and-forth from afar, which often led to shoddy diagnoses and treatments).  Yunxian is taken under her grandmother's tutelage and learns everything about medicine from her, but faced with the various restrictions placed on women at the time, as well as the necessity for a woman of her status to adhere to societal traditions, she was largely prevented from practicing her trade.  Fortunately, Yunxian was supported by a "circle of women" — including her childhood best friend, a midwife named Meiling — through whom she was able to put her skills to use, helping many women and girls in the process. 

One of the things that always stands out with Lisa See's novels is the meticulous research she does in order to bring the historical aspects of her stories to life, which I absolutely admire.  Each time I read her books, I'm blown away by the amount of intricate and exquisite detail she is able to incorporate so seamlessly into her stories, to the point that I always feel completely transported and immersed in the time period she is writing about. With this book in particular, even though I was already familiar with many of the traditions and other historical elements described in the story due to having grown up in the Chinese culture, I appreciated the fact that I was still able to learn so much. I also love how See presents the historical contexts behind her characters and events authentically, and doesn't mince words to try to make things more "palatable" for readers. Of course, this means that there were quite a few scenes that were difficult to read (the ones describing the footbinding process and some of the patients' specific medical conditions especially made me cringe), but they were realistically rendered, which I appreciated. 

For me, the mark of truly great historical fiction is its ability to immerse me in the story to the point that, after finishing the book, I feel compelled to read up on the subject matter / event / historical figure at the center of the story.  I definitely did that that with this book — I was so fascinated with Tan Yunxian's story that I spent hours afterwards googling and reading more background about her (Lisa See's website has some links to sites she used in her research that were especially interesting to explore).  

I could go on, but I will stop here and end with the recommendation to read this book, since no amount of description on my part would be able to do it justice.  As a fan, I hope I won't need to wait another 4 years to read a new Lisa See book (though if that's what it takes, I will wait of course, lol), but at least in the interim, I can go back and read her backlist books that I hadn't gotten a chance to read yet (which I intend to do at some point soon).

Review: Romantic Comedy (by Curtis Sittenfeld)

My Rating:  3 stars



I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance novels, and rom-coms especially can be a bit of a "hit or miss" for me.  With that said though, I don't mind picking one up now and then as a palate-cleanser in between heavier reads —  which is why, when one of my book clubs put Curtis Sittenfeld's newest rom-com, Romantic Comedy, on my radar, I decided to go for it, even though the premise didn't really appeal to me.  

Structure-wise, the entire book is divided into 3 long chapters. Chapter 1  revolves around "The Night Owls" (a late night live comedy show similar to SNL) storyline, where one of the sketch writers, Sally Milz, meets handsome pop star Noah Brewster when he guests hosts for one week and they collaborate on a series of sketches for the show.  Chapter 2 takes place almost 2 years later and is told in an epistolary format, consisting of email correspondence between Noah and Sally. Chapter 3, of course, is where Noah and Sally finally hook up and become a couple.

For me, even though chapter 1 was the most interesting arc in the entire story (and hewed closest to the premise), it took me quite a while to get into it.  I think this was mostly because, nowadays, I don't watch a whole lot of English-language TV shows anymore (I used to watch TONS when I was growing up), plus I've never really been a fan of SNL (I can't even remember the last time I watched an episode of the show…maybe decades ago?), so much of what went on during this chapter felt a bit tedious to me (not to mention I most likely didn't catch any of the pop culture references to the real SNL show, so the entire arc was less meaningful to me).  I actually enjoyed chapter 2 a lot more, probably because I have an affinity for the epistolary storytelling format (it's one of my favorite formats), for one, and two, I like reading fun, witty banter and there was plenty of that in this section.  Chapter 3 was run-of-the-mill romance stuff, which was fine, but not really my jam (oh and just a heads up that this section does get a bit "spicy" in places, in case that matters to those who decide to pick this up).  When it comes down to it, I think what I ended up enjoying the most from the entire story was the "girl power" friendship between Sally, Vivian, and Henrietta, and how they were always there for each other through everything, which I found to be very moving (though yes, their hilarious banter back-and-forth cracked me up as well).

Overall, this was a quick, entertaining read, and both fun as well as funny in places, but I think this was written more for a niche audience (fans of SNL, for example), who will likely enjoy and appreciate this story way more than I did.

Review: A Quitter’s Paradise (by Elysha Chang)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

Elysha Chang's debut novel A Quitter's Paradise is an interesting story about a Chinese-American woman named Eleanor who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and self-reflection after her mother dies.  The narrative alternates between a past and present timeline, with the present one told from Eleanor's first person perspective, covering her adult life where she and her husband Ellis are both scientists working on their PhDs.  Eleanor is prone to avoiding her feelings and often goes to great lengths to make herself small and invisible — a "skill" she cultivated as a child growing up in a household that was often devoid of warmth and tenderness.  In this timeline, we are given glimpses into Eleanor's fraught relationship with her mother, but we don't learn how this tense relationship came to be until the past timeline, told in third person, where the backstory of Eleanor's parents, Rita and Jing, is told.  Rita and Jing were immigrants from Taiwan, and though they were able to provide a financially stable life for Eleanor and her sister Narisa, their family dynamics were anything but harmonious.  Jing was often away for work and when he was at home, he was mostly indifferent (and sometimes violent) toward his family.  Rita often criticized  her daughters for infractions that either didn't exist or were contradictory to the point of confusion.  Narisa was a wild child who mostly did as she pleased, even if it meant hurting others in the process (especially Eleanor, whom she bullied and ridiculed relentlessly).  Growing up, Eleanor learned to be quiet and obedient, immersing herself in schoolwork and reading (similar to how the ancient scholars immersed themselves in their studies) — not because she particularly enjoyed either activity, but because that was the only way she could be left alone. In this way, she could become what her mother Rita "envisioned a modern scholar to be: someone actively engaged in disappearing, in self-effacing, someone hermited within themselves… Eleanor never corrected mistakes, never offered opinions, convictions, suggestions, clarifications. Never revealed anything about what she knew or did not know, what she felt or did not feel. How had she trained herself to be so amenable? Where did she learn to nod at concepts she didn't understand? Simple. Eleanor did not really rule herself or any realm of her life. She inhabited a world that belonged always to someone else." It is this personality trait of Eleanor's that shapes much of the story in the present timeline, which ends up affecting her relationships with everyone around her.

I had serious mixed feelings toward this book, with regard to both the story arc and the characters. In terms of story arc, the first two-thirds or so was quite strong and kept me engaged, but then the last third of the story got a bit muddled and abstract, to the point that, in the end, I felt lost and was no longer sure I knew where the author was trying to go with the story.  I also felt like the way the 2 alternating timelines were presented came off a bit disjointed - specifically as it pertained to the relationship between Eleanor and her mother Rita, which I was expecting to be more of a focus in the story. In the past timeline, we get to know Rita through her backstory, which plays a huge role in shaping her relationship with her daughters in their childhood years. In the present timeline however, the mother-daughter relationship wasn't explored much outside of the first few pages, which felt like a lost opportunity to me.  But it could be because I preferred the past timeline over the present one, so I was more interested in how that played out.

With the characters, I was actually quite conflicted.  On the one hand, I definitely resonated with Eleanor as a child, growing up in an immigrant household and the struggles that came with it, as well as the tenuous relationship with her mother that shaped who she became as an adult — much of it was familiar to me, as I had experienced similar struggles in my own life.  In the present timeline however, I couldn't relate much to Eleanor and the outlandish decisions she made, many of which I thought were a bit over the top — so much so that I actually found her annoying, especially near the end of the story. I also didn't know what to make of her relationship with Ellis, who featured prominently in the present timeline, but yet as a character, was not developed much — it felt like he could've easily been cut out of the story and it wouldn't have made much difference. 

Overall, I did enjoy this one, even though I felt parts of the story were uneven and the characters could've been better developed. The writing itself was quite good though, so I would definitely be interested in reading more from Elysha Chang in the future.

Received ARC from SJP Lit / Zando via NetGalley

Review: Watch Us Shine (by Marisa de los Santos)

My Rating: 4 stars

When I first picked this book up, I had no idea that it was part of Marisa de los Santos's popular series Love Walked In. This worried me initially, as I hadn't read any of the other books in the series, so I was afraid I would be lost without the backstory or that I wouldn't be able to connect with the characters.  Luckily, this one turned out to be a standalone story that didn't require any knowledge from previous books (though I've heard that it's recommended to read the other books in the series for the best emotional effect).  With that said, even though I wasn't familiar with this particular series or its characters prior to diving into it, one thing I was familiar with was the writing, as I had read de los Santos's previous standalone novel I'd Give Anything and remember being smitten by how beautiful and heartfelt the writing was.  My sentiments toward that book very much apply here as well — the memorable, relatable characters who may act a bit quirky at times, but overall are tremendously endearing; the themes of family, love, forgiveness, truth, regrets, and relationships in all its various forms;  the "messiness" of complicated family dynamics where each member might not agree with or understand one another, but still love each other regardless;  and of course, the emotional nuances that permeate the story, woven into the narrative in a way that felt seamless and effortless.

De los Santos has a way of tackling difficult topics with empathy and grace, which I admire and appreciate.  Her characters are put through some incredibly hard things, and sometimes the decisions they make I might not necessarily agree with, but yet I couldn't help rooting for them wholeheartedly.  I loved all of the characters in here, but I especially connected with Martha, specifically in her role as protector (in this case, of her sister Eleanor), which ends up taking more of a toll on her than anyone could've anticipated. Martha's story was heart wrenching, yet rendered so magnanimously, with an undercurrent of hope and compassion that added emotional nuance, but was never heavy-handed.  

There was actually so much to unpack with this moving, poignant story that it's virtually impossible to do the story justice in the short space of a review.  I definitely recommend picking this one up, especially if you've read the other books in the series.  Over the course of just this book, Cornelia, Eleanor, and their large, extended family already endeared themselves to me to the point that I definitely want to read the previous books in the series so that I can get further acquainted with them.

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

Review: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? (by Crystal Smith Paul)

My Rating: 4 stars

This is one of those books where it's hard to say much without giving away major plot points in the story, so my review is going to be deliberately short and a bit vague. 

Pretty much all you need to know going into this story is that, in 2017, a famous and iconic movie actress named Kitty Karr Tate, who is White, dies at the age of 81 and leaves her billion dollar fortune to the already wealthy St. John sisters, who are Black.  The St. John family is Hollywood royalty and also millionaires in their own right, so Kitty's actions of bequeathing her estate to them raises lots of questions.  The story opens in the present, where the eldest St. John sister Elise is tasked with sorting through Kitty's belongings according to her very specific instructions, as well as arranging her memorial service, all while having to deal with personal problems of her own that, being a famous actress herself, are getting played out in the public eye.  From there, we are sent back in time to 1934, where we meet a Black woman named Hazel living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  The story alternates back and forth between the past and present, in a slow-burn narrative told from the perspectives of several different characters.  The two timelines do eventually converge, but it takes a long time to get there — which isn't usually a problem, except that in this case, I had already figured out the entire plot by that time, so when the moment of "the big reveal" arrived, it was anti-climactic.  Even so, despite the predictability of the plot, the story still held my interest, and I was especially curious, given the circumstances of the characters, whether the secrets that some of them had been hiding, would eventually come out, as well as what the repercussions would be.

Even though the setting of the present timeline was in modern day Los Angeles (which I'm always drawn to in stories due to the familiarity, since that's where I grew up and also where I still live currently), I actually preferred the past timeline more than the present one, as I found the historical nuances of Hazel's and Kitty's stories much more interesting to read about. With that said, from a structure perspective, flipping back and forth between the two timelines, I felt that there were moments where some of the plot points involving a few of the characters got lost in the shuffle — this resulted in me having to go back and re-read some sections to make sure I got those parts of the story straight.

Overall, this is a captivating story that's both relevant and timely in its exploration of race, gender, and identity, as well as the question of how to reconcile these against society's conventions.  I definitely appreciated what the author, Crystal Smith Paul, tried to do here, even though I did feel the story as a whole was overly long and some scenes (especially the ones in the present timeline) were perhaps not really needed.  There are also quite a few "heavy" things that are dealt with in here and triggers abound, so keep that mind (although I didn't feel that the "heaviness" overwhelmed at all).  In terms of characters, there are quite a few and at times, it's hard to keep them straight, but the main ones will stand out.  I found Kitty Karr to be a very compelling character, though Hazel was the character I emphasized with and rooted for the most.

This was a strong debut and I definitely look forward to what Crystal Smith Paul comes up with next!

Received ARC from Henry Holt and Co. via NetGalley.

Review: Banyan Moon (by Thao Thai)

My Rating:  5 stars

I've been reading quite a few new releases the last couple of months and while many of those I enjoyed immensely (majority have been 4 and 4.5 star reads thankfully), I had yet to come across one that I could truly categorize as a 5 star level "this book blew me away" type read (so far this year, I've rated 2 books 5 stars, but both were backlist reads).  Well, heading into summer reading season, I'm happy to report that I've finally come across my first 5 star read among the plentiful 2023 new releases — Thao Thai's spectacular debut novel Banyan Moon (scheduled for publication in June).  

There was so much to unpack with this book, I'm honestly not sure where to begin.  Perhaps the best place to start would be what attracted me to this book in the first place — as soon as I read the premise, especially the following last paragraph, I knew that this was a book I abs had to read:   Spanning decades and continents, from 1960s Vietnam to the wild swamplands of the Florida coast, Banyan Moon is a stunning and deeply moving story of mothers and daughters, the things we inherit, and the lives we choose to make out of that inheritance."  

First of all, I love sweeping family sagas, but in particular, I'm drawn to stories about mother/daughter relationships.  Part of the reason I gravitate toward these types of stories is because I have a complicated relationship with my own mother, so I'm constantly on the lookout for books that explore this — particularly between Asian mothers and daughters, as there are usually familiar cultural dynamics involved that inform these relationships, which can hopefully help me make sense of my own.  

To be honest, reading this book was like a gut punch for me because I resonated so deeply with each of the 3 main characters — Minh (grandmother and family matriarch), Huong (Minh's daughter and Ann's mother), and Ann (Minh's granddaughter, Huong's daughter, and herself about to become a mother) — and the various misunderstandings and disagreements that defined their relationship with each other. I understood Ann's feeling of being adrift and floating and not really knowing what she wanted to do with her life, only that she wanted to escape from the perpetual tension that always existed when she was in her mother's presence.  I also understood Huong's feelings of inadequacy — both as a mother and as a daughter — and feeling like she had no choice but to resign herself to a life that reflected what others wanted rather than what she actually wanted.  And yes, I also understood Minh's struggle, why she became the overbearing force to be reckoned with in the family, and what necessitated her urge to protect her granddaughter at all costs.  So many of the dynamics that were at play between these three women felt so familiar to me, as they reflected some of my experiences and struggles with my own family over the years:  for instance: the inability to communicate our true feelings no matter how hard we try, and then being bogged down by endless guilt and regret that never truly goes away; the resentment and hurt built up from a lifetime of letting fear and desperation dictate our words and actions, resulting in us saying things to each other that we may not really mean, but that end up dealing irreparable damage to our relationships; and for me, this one was the most poignant and heartbreaking — the constant struggle with understanding the different ways to love someone and the impossibility of choosing a "right" or "wrong" way to love (especially where family is concerned).  As an indication of how deeply this story resonated with me — during various points as I was reading, I actually had to set the book down in order to wipe away tears that seemed to appear of their own accord. 

Another thing that blew me away with this book was the writing. I love beautiful prose and this one definitely had plenty of it!  When I read fiction, I tend to read straight through without marking up any passages because I don't want to break up the flow of the story, but in this instance, I couldn't help myself — some of the passages, in articulating the complexities of the relationship between the 3 generations of Tran women, also described my own feelings so precisely that I just had to mark them for rereading and reflection later.  

One other thing I wanted to mention is the format of the narrative, which, except for the first chapter, alternated between the perspectives of Minh, Huong, and Ann, both in the present day as well as going back to the past.  This format was powerful, I felt, as juxtaposing the three women's stories in this way not only helped us see how each navigated her role as daughters (which is important because of how much these experiences shaped their future roles as mothers), but it also helped us to see how similar some of their motivations were, yet how differently their lives turned out based on the choices they made. 

As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot to unpack with this one and the above only touches upon a few of my initial thoughts about certain aspects of the story that resonated with me, which of course only scratches the surface of what this book is about.  This is why I'm so glad that one of my book clubs chose this as a monthly read, as I now have an excuse to go back and reread this in preparation for the discussion.  Definitely looking forward to it!

Received ARC from Mariner Books via BookBrowse First Impressions program.

Review: The Museum of Ordinary People (by Mike Gayle)



My Rating:  2.5 stars



When I first read the premise of Mike Gayle's latest novel The Museum of Ordinary People, I was quite intrigued by the idea of a museum that collected keepsakes and mementos — things that people didn't want to throw away, but also weren't able to keep either.  This story arc was definitely an interesting one and indeed, the chapters that talked about the museum — how it came about, the history behind some of the items, the backstories of the people who donated the items, etc. — were the strongest.  Unfortunately though, much of the rest of the story was bogged down by various threads that I felt were irrelevant, unnecessary and distracted from the main arc — for example, all of the chapters devoted to the main protagonist Jess Baxter clearing out her mum's house, room by room — which had the effect of dragging out the already slow-paced story to the point of being nearly unbearable. 

I also was annoyed by the thread involving Jess's relationship with her boyfriend Guy. Right from the start, the dynamics of their relationship felt off and it was already pretty obvious the direction that the relationship was headed (that they wouldn't be together in the end) — which was why, as the story progressed, I got increasingly frustrated with how their relationship continued to drag on, with both Jess and Guy coming up with one "justification" after another for why they should remain together.  And then when the split finally happened, it was done in a way that honestly made no sense (not to mention it ticked me off how Jess was portrayed throughout that entire scene — specifically having her grovel and take all the blame with no mention of the role that Guy's atrocious behavior played in the whole mess).

Speaking of Jess, I felt like the way her character was written was very inconsistent throughout the story, to the point that it was hard for me to connect with her at all.  It seemed like one minute, she would exude confidence and stand up for herself but then the next minute she would become a doormat and second guess herself at every turn. Basically, she came across as being all over the place due to her behavior and actions being contradictory throughout various parts of the story.  

In addition to the characters being problematic, the writing was also repetitive in places (for example - the word "anyway" was repeated at so many points in the story that I lost count after the first couple chapters), there was way too much “telling” rather than “showing” (the writing actually came off awkward in places), and the plot was a bit too contrived for my liking (there were some "twists" added near the end that were convenient but unnecessary in my opinion).  

Overall, I would say that this was an okay read that I think would've been a more effective story if it had focused on the original premise of the museum rather than branching off into other tangents.  The narrative meandered too much and there were too many instances where I felt like I had to skim through tedious bits in order to get back to the parts that mattered (the scenes involving the museum). As I seem to be an outlier on this one though, I would recommend checking out other reviews as well, just in case.

Received ARC from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.

Review: The Wishing Game (by Meg Shaffer)

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Meg Shaffer's smart, whimsical, and utterly delightful debut novel The Wishing Game is the feel-good story I didn't know I needed!   

Inspired by the beloved children's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this was a retelling of sorts, but set in the world of books.  Instead of a chocolate factory, there's a "writing factory" that is the home to Jack Masterson, the reclusive and eccentric children's author of the mega-bestselling Clock Island series.  The fantastical book series is so beloved in part because of the books' ability to help the children who read them find solace and comfort during difficult times in their lives.  One of those children is Lucy Hart, who grew up in a family with parents who were neglectful and ended up abandoning her in favor of her older sister Angie.  To combat her loneliness, Lucy found solace in books, especially the Clock Island series, with its magical world where a mysterious figure named Master Mastermind "granted wishes to brave children" and in so doing, helped them face and overcome their fears.  Many years later, 26-year-old Lucy is a teacher's aide at an elementary school in California, where she meets 7-year-old Christopher Lamb, an orphan in foster care with whom she develops a close relationship.  Her biggest wish is to adopt Christopher and give him a forever home, but unfortunately, her lack of funds and unstable living environment make that wish all but impossible.  It's during this time that Jack Masterson, who had mysteriously quit writing 6 years ago, re-emerges and announces that he has written a new book in the Clock Island series – not only that, he has devised a contest where specially chosen readers of his books will get to compete for the sole copy.  When Lucy is chosen as one of the 4 contestants who receives the "golden ticket" – the invitation to travel to the real Clock Island (located off the coast of Maine) to compete for the coveted prize – she sees the opportunity to finally make her wish come true.  But it won't be easy, as Lucy not only has to beat out 3 other contestants who have equally compelling reasons for needing to win, she also has to deal with Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books and Jack's caretaker of sorts on the island.  Unbeknownst to all of them though, Jack actually has reasons of his own for putting on the contest that could end up changing the lives of all involved in ways they weren't expecting.

This was a charming, clever, inner story that sucked me in right from the first page.  Shaffer did a magnificent job with the world-building in this story, to the point that I was blown away by how simultaneously similar and different this was from its inspiration, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.   There were the obvious parallels of course:  the stand-in for the chocolate factory, which in this case was the setting of Clock Island, with each location whimsically named based on the segments of a clock (such as 'The City of Second Hand' or 'Nine O'Clock Dock' or 'One O'Clock Picnic Spot'); the character of Jack Masterson, whose eccentric personality and endearing nature gives off serious Willy Wonka vibes;  the contest where the lucky recipients of the blue envelope containing the invitation (equivalent to the golden ticket in the chocolate bar) are the ones who get to go visit Clock Island; the main protagonist coming from a poor background and so the opportunity that the "golden ticket" presents is particularly life-changing.  But there were also significant differences, with the obvious one being the romantic storyline between Lucy and Hugo; the literary theme involving the fictional Clock Island book series (complete with excerpts from the books scattered throughout the story);  the exploration of various "heavy" topics such as parental abuse and neglect, illness and death, the foster care system, the effect of childhood trauma lasting into adulthood, free choice versus circumstance, etc. — all of these topics were covered in a way that acknowledged their importance but wasn't heavy-handed (which I appreciated), while also fitting perfectly with the vibe of the book (whimsical, light-hearted, hopeful, etc).

Another element that was done really well in here was the humor, which felt very natural and seamless throughout the story.  I love banter between characters that isn't deliberately funny, but still has the ability to make me laugh, and there was the perfect amount of that in this story.  It's even more wonderful when the banter isn't just between the characters in a romantic relationship (though yes, it was fun following the back and forth between Lucy and Hugo in most of their scenes), but also features significantly into the relationships between the other characters as well.  I especially enjoyed the dynamics of Jack and Hugo's "pseudo father/son" relationship, which had me laughing one minute and moved to tears the next minute.  Actually, the various relationship dynamics was one of the main elements that set this story apart from its inspiration, which is also what made the story more compelling in my opinion.

If I had to sum this one up, I would say that it's an imaginative, magical, bookish take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but for adults.  It's also a story with lots of heart (I agree with everyone who said reading this book is like getting a big warm hug, lol), but what I love most is its underlying message about hope and wishes as well as the power of books to change lives.  A wonderful homage to books and reading as well as a tribute to a childhood favorite (I love how Shaffer dedicated this book to "Charlie"), this is a book that I highly recommend and hope that many readers will love it as much as I did.

P.S.:  The cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous!  I read an e-ARC of this one, but I'm actually considering buying a physical copy so I can pull it out and look at the cover whenever I feel like it. 

Received ARC from Ballantine Books via NetGalley.

Review: The Sorrows of Others (by Ada Zhang)

My Rating:  3.5 stars

Short story collections can be a bit of a hit or miss for me.  One reason is because I need stories to have some type of closure, as I don't like the feeling of being left hanging — for me, a story needs to have a beginning, middle, and ending (which can be good, bad, or indifferent — doesn't really matter to me as long as there's closure).  I also enjoy stories with characters that are well-developed and that I can root for.  Unfortunately, most short story collections are written in a way where we essentially only get a small "slice of life" snippet, with the story oftentimes ending abruptly – the result is that the stories usually feel incomplete and I'm left yearning for more.  In terms of the characters, it's hard for me to be invested enough to root for them when I'm given little to no chance of getting to know them and watching them evolve.

 

With Ada Zhang's debut collection of stories, The Sorrows of Others, this was exactly the type of situation I encountered.  While I loved the themes that the stories explored – the impact of immigration and assimilation, constant struggle with identity and belonging, cultural dissonance between generations, parent/child relationships, complex family dynamics, etc. – I felt that the stories were way too short and therefore the themes weren't covered as amply or deeply as I would've liked (as a point of reference, the entire collection was less than 150 pages, with the longest story being only 22 pages and the shortest story only 6 pages).  Nearly every story felt incomplete to me, which made for a frustrating read, as I kept having to start over with each story trying to get back into the groove of things and get acquainted with the new characters.

Format-aside though, the writing here was excellent — Zhang did a great job weaving the cultural elements into the stories, which I definitely appreciated, especially since, being from the same culture, many of the experiences were familiar to me. Also, with some of the characters, the emotional undercurrents were definitely felt within their respective stories, it's just that there wasn't enough time to develop further due to the brevity of the stories.

Out of the 10 stories in this collection, the ones that resonated most with me were:  The Sorrows of Others, Propriety, Silence, Sister Machinery, Knowing, and Compromise.

Overall, this was a good collection that I absolutely recommend for those who enjoy the short story format.  Though I prefer novels, I appreciated the writing enough in this one that, if Zhang were to put out another short story collection, I would definitely read it.

Received ARC from A Public Space Books via Edelweiss.