This book was weird. And I'm not sure if it was weird in a good way or not.

Choi presents the reader with a story told in 3 acts, or 3 different trust exercises. Trust exercises both amongst the characters but also between the narrator and the readers. I can't tell you much more about it without giving away the plot. But the work boils down to two different main thoughts: What is the truth? And who gets to decide what the truth is?

Does truth come from a place of power? Or from the perspective of the victim? Or from some combination of the two?

The overall questions of the book are intriguing, but the story was hard to contend with at times. I appreciated the shift that occurs between the first and second parts. However, the third part felt clunky and awkward (maybe that was the point?). The characters are all awful, some more than others, and I think this is part of Choi's point. Her prose style was not my favorite, being overly verbose at times, but I think it will appeal to some.

Overall, I think if you approach this novel thinking of it an experimental exercise, you will get more out of it. This was not the mindset I had going in, which affected my appreciation, but I someday hope to revisit it with that in mind.

3 stars

TW: Pedophilia, sexual assault of minors, murder, alcoholism