While I appreciate Dolan’s perspective as a queer, autistic writer, as well as the bisexual rep in this book, there is the glaring issue of white privilege in this book. Many other reviewers have commented that even though the book is set in Hong Kong, you would not be able to tell the setting except for Dolan explicitly telling you it’s meant to be Hong Kong. Ava surrounds herself with other white expats until she meets Edith, and little is mentioned of any other Asian characters.

Due to the endless comparisons to Normal People, I wanted to leave it for a bit so I wouldn’t be tempted to compare them. It took me a good 50 pages to get into this book. Ava’s first person narration can be tricky to follow, I found myself having to reread sentences to find the thread. But eventually I settled in, and parts 2 and 3, once Edith enters the picture, were better than part 1 in my opinion.

Dolan has tonnes of interviews online which are really interesting. I particularly enjoyed one where she talks about Ava and how a lot of readers find her unlikeable. Although accepting of it, Dolan feels ‘vulnerable when people judge things based on whether they like people or not, because I’m not good at presenting myself as likeable’. I truly felt that. I found Ava a fascinating character.

All in all, some glaringly problematic elements that I struggled to overlook, so definitely not my favourite book about a self destructive millennial.