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In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir by Deb JJ Lee
“I love you when you’re at your lowest just as much as at your best. Growing up is about being sad and angry sometimes.” What could have been a depressing and angsty coming-of-age is ultimately saved by a rewarding & bittersweet narrative arc. As a Korean-American teen girl in the very white New Jersey suburbs,…
3 STARS, abuse, America, ANGST, anxiety, ARTISTS, asian american, asian diaspora, belonging, bullying, coming of age, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, Deb JJ Lee, DEPRESSION, Graphic Novels, growing up, HIGH SCHOOL, In Limbo, In Limbo: A Graphic Memoir, Korea, korean american author, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, loneliness, MEMOIR, mental health, mothers & daughters, new jersey, published in 2023, queer, RACE, read in 2023, school setting, Sequential Art, suicide -
Greek Lessons by Han Kang
“The lit fuse of the chilly explosive primed in her heart is no more. The interior of her mouth is as empty as the veins through which the blood no longer flows, it is as empty as a lift shaft where the lift has ceased to operate.” In a clinically detached prose Han Kang examines…
3.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambiguous protagonist, ambivalent mood, belonging, books about writers, cold tone, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), disabilities, divorce/separations, female authors, Germany, Greek Lessons, GRIEF, Han Kang, introspective, Korea, korean author, language, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, Longing, MEMORY, mental health, otherness, psychological, published in 2011, read in 2023, teachers, the body, the female malaise, unnamed characters -
Self-Portrait with Ghost: Short Stories by Meng Jin
Sly and surreal Self-Portrait with Ghost makes for a playfully weird and refreshingly inventive collection of short stories. Like most collections, not all of its stories are created equal, as there are a couple, especially the shorter ones last, that are rather forgettable. The most effective stories were the ones that, although characterized by a…
3.25 stars, Adult, ambivalent mood, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, asian american, asian diaspora, belonging, CHILDHOOD, chinese american author, collection of short stories, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, dark humor, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), dreamlike quality, female authors, feverish, first love, ghosts/spirits, girlhood, HIGH SCHOOL, jealousy, lgbtq+, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MAGICAL REALISM, MARRIAGE, Meng Jin, migration/immigration, mothers & daughters, navel gazing, opera/choruses/classical music, playful style, published in 2022, queer, read in 2022, SEXUALITY, short stories, surreal, toxic relationships, unrequited love, weird, womanhood/femininity -
A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing: A Memoir Across Three Continents by Mary-Alice Daniel
Drawn by its stunning title & cover, I requested an arc for A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing. For some reason or other I ended up neglecting to read it but at long last decided to give it a try, and I’m really glad that I did get round to it. Written with clarity and…
1990s, 2000s, 3.5 STARS, A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing, A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing: A Memoir Across Three Continents, Adult, America, belonging, biography, Black & Black heritage authors, black diaspora, CHILDHOOD, Christianity, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, elementary school, england, family, female authors, generational trauma, girlhood, growing up, HIGH SCHOOL, history, identity, Islam, language, Mary-Alice Daniel, MEMOIR, MEMORY, migration/immigration, Nigeria, nigerian american author, Nonfiction, otherness, published in 2022, RACE, read in 2022, Religion, school setting, snapshots, social issues, story within a story -
Daughters of the New Year by E.M. Tran
Xuan and her children never talked about this dance. They did it over and over again, playing their parts faithfully and acting as though the other had not transgressed. While I appreciate the conceit of Daughters of the New Year, its execution did not win me over. The summary may be somewhat at fault, as…
1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2.5 STARS, 20th century, Adult, asian american, asian diaspora, astrology, beauty contest, belonging, bullying, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, Daughters of the New Year, DEATH, different styles (1st/2nd/3rd povs), drama, E.M. Tran, f/f side, family, female authors, generational trauma, HISTORICAL FICTION, history, intergenerational, interwoven narratives, lesbian side characters, lgbtq+ side, MEMORY, migration/immigration, Mississippi, motherhood, mothers & daughters, New Orleans, OCD, polyphonic, published in 2022, queer side characters, read in 2022, reality shows, SISTERS, snapshots, Southern America, trauma, Vietnam, Vietnamese American Author, womanhood/femininity -
The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin
“I felt almost affectionate towards those machines, a kind of pity tinged with fear. As soon as they were fed, their contents would be regurgitated, undigested.” I am happy to report that I found Shua Dusapin’s second novel much more to my liking than her first one (which i actually tried revisiting hoping that it…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, Adult, adulthood, ambivalent mood, cold tone, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, dreamlike quality, Elisa Shua Dusapin, ennui, female authors, FRANCE, French Korean author, grandparents, introspective, japan, Korea, language, loneliness, melancholy, navel gazing, published in 2018, read in 2022, stylised prose, teachers, the female malaise, The Pachinko Parlour, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION -
American Fever by Dur e Aziz Amna
“[W]e talked incessantly about the gap between here and there. With each articulated difference, we flattened ourselves and let American define us. We were only ever what it was not.” My initial reaction upon finishing American Fever was something in the realm of ‘underwhelmed’. Yet, as weeks passed by my opinion changed. Maybe it’s because…
1st pov, 2010s, 3.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, ambivalent mood, America, American Fever, belonging, cold tone, coming of age, cultural dissonance, Dur e Aziz Amna, ennui, female authors, friendships, girlhood, HIGH SCHOOL, identity, illness, Islam, loneliness, Longing, Muslim rep, NEW YORK, Oregon, otherness, Pakistan, Pakistani author, published in 2022, read in 2022, Religion, SLICE OF LIFE, SMALL TOWN, the female malaise, YOUNG ADULT -
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany
“Their laughter split the air and, in a heartbeat, lightness was back. It’s always easier to laugh about things than to cry about them.” These Impossible Things an engrossing novel that would make for a great summer read & book club pick. Salma El-Wardany’s prose, which is by turns lively and poignant, is utterly absorbing.…
2010s, 3 STARS, 3rd pov, abortion/miscarriage/bodily autonomy, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS, Adult, adulthood, bad love, belonging, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, drama, egypt, Egyptian Irish Desi author, england, female authors, female friendships, friendships, gay side characters, heartbreak/breakups, lgbtq+ side, LONDON, Muslim rep, published in 2022, read in 2022, Religion, ROMANCE, Salma El-Wardany, sexual assault/abuse/rape, social issues, These Impossible Things, toxic relationships, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, womanhood/femininity -
Nuclear Family by Joseph Han
Nuclear Family is a family drama characterized by a gritty realism & tragicomedy tone, that will definitely appeal to fans of dysfunctional families such as the ones you can find in books such as Kirstin Valdez Quade’s The Five Wounds or, series like Shameless, or films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once . While…
3 STARS, 3rd pov, Adult, America, asian american, asian diaspora, bars & restaurants, belonging, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, drama, family, gay, ghosts/spirits, GUILT, hawaii, illness, intergenerational, ISLAND, Joseph Han, Korea, korean american author, lgbtq+, LGBTQ+ Author, LITERARY FICTION, MAGICAL REALISM, male authors, migration/immigration, north korea, Nuclear Family, published in 2022, read in 2022, siblings -
Himawari House by Harmony Becker
Himawari House breathes a breath of fresh air into the contemporary graphic novel genre. I have never come across a multilingual graphic novel so it was really refreshing to see Harmony Becker seamlessly incorporate English, Japanese, Korean, and Singlish in her work. I loved that the English equivalent of whatever was being said in Japanese…
3 STARS, America, belonging, coming of age, Contemporary, cultural dissonance, female authors, female friendships, friendships, Graphic Novels, Harmony Becker, Himawari House, identity, japan, japanese american author, Korea, language, loneliness, NEW ADULT, published in 2021, read in 2022, ROMANCE, Sequential Art, singapore, SLICE OF LIFE, travel, YOUNG ADULT
luce [is reading] 