I've got to be honest, I think Khakpour bites off more than she chews here (I don't say "can chew" because I think she's MORE than capable). There's aI've got to be honest, I think Khakpour bites off more than she chews here (I don't say "can chew" because I think she's MORE than capable). There's a LOT going on and I don't think it ties up very well and also there's some parts in the middle that drag but overall I was incredibly impressed by this and so glad I finally read it. Also not quite a spoiler but I didn't read the book jacket before starting and I 100000% did not know this was a 9/11 book so...be prepared for that! It is wild how that still doesn't get easier, but also I think her approach is very thoughtful and not as treacly as some of the others that I've read (I'm looking at you, Jonathan Safran Foer!). ...more
I want to give this like a 2.5. It’s cute, pure fantasy, and with the right screenwriter, it would make a fun comedy caper movie, but the writing was I want to give this like a 2.5. It’s cute, pure fantasy, and with the right screenwriter, it would make a fun comedy caper movie, but the writing was driving me nuts and I wish it had been better edited because there’s a lot to love here. Read this and tell me it’s not irritating how often something “niggled” at the back of Simi’s brain. Because it’s at least 7 times....more
4.5 rounding up—thanks to the publisher for the copy! I’m not sure how this book has flown under so many radars, it’s a truly well written and compell4.5 rounding up—thanks to the publisher for the copy! I’m not sure how this book has flown under so many radars, it’s a truly well written and compelling story about all of the changes that have taken place in Singapore’s recent history, told via the life of Ah Boon, born to a family of fishermen but with dreams of « more » and his friend and childhood love Siok Mei, a radical who resists the government’s interventions in the lives of the people. The characters are so beautifully developed and though it’s not as flowery in the language as some other books focused on a single place tend to be, I felt like I understood how Singapore looked and sounded and smelled, and how the changes starting after WWII, the Japanese occupation, and the fight for independence from British colonial rule affected both the land and the lives of the people. This is truly excellent. ...more
This was good! I think I’m suffering from the over-sold virus though, definitely went in with my expectations very high and I can see why people like This was good! I think I’m suffering from the over-sold virus though, definitely went in with my expectations very high and I can see why people like it but it definitely didn’t blow my socks off (though I enjoyed reading it). ...more
Another cute cozy mystery that isn’t super challenging but that I enjoyed. It wrapped up in a flash which felt kind of unsatisfying but enjoyable neveAnother cute cozy mystery that isn’t super challenging but that I enjoyed. It wrapped up in a flash which felt kind of unsatisfying but enjoyable nevertheless...more
The story is interesting and man, the descriptions of the food are so good, but all the characters felt a little thin. Very little complexity to them—The story is interesting and man, the descriptions of the food are so good, but all the characters felt a little thin. Very little complexity to them—not quite but almost caricatures? All of the male characters were especially one note. Lots and lots of set up, too, more family drama than murder mystery which isn’t bad but just a bit unexpected....more
Really beautiful and so, so sad but so strikingly insightful too. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this given the main focus and already feeling sad allReally beautiful and so, so sad but so strikingly insightful too. I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this given the main focus and already feeling sad all the time but I was hooked right away and while yes I definitely cried, sometimes it was because something was sad and sometimes because it was so clearly, truly beautiful. If you’re in the right frame of mind this is excellent, and the author narrates which makes it so much more vulnerable and brave. ...more
Cute and fluffy—would make a great beach read if we can ever go to the beach again. The characters are fairly two-dimensional and some of the plot is Cute and fluffy—would make a great beach read if we can ever go to the beach again. The characters are fairly two-dimensional and some of the plot is just the main character rehashing what we already know, so if that kind of thing bugs you, I’d skip this one. But I needed something light and a formulaic lil murder-mystery did the trick. Pro Tip: do not read this book if you’re hungry. The descriptions of the food had me drooling!...more
This took me a while to get through because it is largely episodic, with sprawling scenes that delve into tiny details as if you were there, a few houThis took me a while to get through because it is largely episodic, with sprawling scenes that delve into tiny details as if you were there, a few hours lovingly detailed over fifty or so pages, and I didn’t like to leave those scenes midway, so I found myself only picking this one back up when I had time to fully immerse myself. I really loved this book, the picaresque by way of a sort of unmotivated young narrator, Tiller, and the ways he grows through the experiences he’s relating: one part domestic with Val and her son Victor, Jr., and one part adventure with Pong, the charming entrepreneur who sees what Tiller has to offer and brings him around the world on his business ventures. Even when some of the scenes took excruciatingly long to play out, as if Tiller had to make you deeply understand what he went through, I couldn’t wait to see what happened next, and this has to be one of my favorite endings of all time, especially because I never saw it coming. ...more
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