astridandlouise's Reviews (665)

"Even if all language is futile, we dream of someone who might understand what we're trying to say."

This is the story of neighbours Sonny and Vince, both 16, both children of Vietnamese refugees and both navigating the path to adulthood in Cabramatta during the 90s. I found this a little slow to begin with, but I understand this was to set up our main characters as individuals before their stories began to intertwine. I couldn't get enough of the second half. The structure and language of numerous sentences throughout were mesmerising and brutally beautiful. The scenes that depicted boat travel were very confronting yet also incredibly educational. I loved reading this and learning more about the Vietnamese immigrant community here in Australia.

Because sadness is the truest emotion... Happiness isn't to be trusted. It's a bald-faced liar. But the truth of your sadness enriches every other thing inside you, especially your joy. You shouldn't be afraid to go to the place that makes you sad Molly Hook."

I had very high expectations for this book after absolutely loving Boy Swallows Universe and in a similar vein, it began as quite a slow burn until about a third of the way through. And safe to say, it was truly spectacular. Dalton is such a talent when it comes to imagery and what this tale evoked was colourful and quintessentially Australian. The characters were all brilliantly envisioned and conceived - they all had strong backstories, a clear sense of shape and purpose (I felt a particular affinity for Yukio).

There was a particular section of the narrative toward the end that felt slightly off balance with the majority of the story, but it wasn't so distracting that I found it a hindrance, just slightly odd.

4.5 stars.

this didn't captivate me like previous Murakami books. i don't think there was enough character development and the plot had a number of downfalls.

however... i didn't dislike it, nor did i highly enjoy reading it. definitely a Murakami book but not his strongest literary performance.

“I throw myself into things, expecting always to get what I want. And I always get what I want. Now it feels like I’ve failed all over again. Only this time there’s no motivation behind it. I’ve just failed myself, and it hurts in a strange, unfamiliar way. The wound is deeper than anything I’ve ever felt.”

This is a truly magnificent debut with much to love and admire about it.

There’s so many elements that gauged such an empathetic response from me. Tu’s use of language is beautiful but also contains a sense of urgency which I found incredibly engaging. The amount of emotional trauma and self harm that manifests itself though sex, a longing to feel, is confronting but also incredibly relatable to many in our society. Thus I didn’t find it to be inappropriate or unnecessary. There is also a great amount amount of social commentary throughout which is sharp, perceptive and more or less 100% true. I think Tu has done an amazing job in manifesting a protagonist that’s damaged, but not broken (aren’t we all?). Trying to navigate a life once so scheduled and regimented, controlled by the prospect of success and perfectionism, a life that’s lonely.

I think many may describe this book as mundane (from a place of negativity) but that’s precisely what I loved about it. I could say so much more, but more than anything I suggest you dive in and read it.

(Buddy read with @paulineisreading)

We follow our alienated and millennial protagonist Ava as she moves from Ireland to Hong Kong as a TEFL teacher who finds herself in what some would call a love triangle, with Julian (British born, Cambridge educated banker) and Edith (Hong Kong raised, Cambridge educated lawyer).

Ava and Julian aren't exactly likeable characters but I found myself interested in them and their quirks nonetheless. Edith was the opposite, she came across as very smart and particularly skilled at reading peoples personas. Dolan filled the narrative with lots of discussion about culture and class which I found to be superb. She also wrote with abundance about the English language (tied to Ava's job as a TEFL teacher) which I found so captivating. These parts of the book were probably where my attention held the most. I found it to be so engaging. Definitely a curious and interesting read.

I had high hopes for this one but expectations fell short unfortunately. I was expecting much more cli-fi, but I wasn’t necessarily disappointed by what I did receive. The Tasmanian setting as per usual was atmospheric (even once the cli-fi/extreme weather elements took off) and I still love the simplicity and sheer beauty of the Australian edition cover art.

This is a book that sits heavily with ethics and morals in a truly relatable way. It made me assess if I were in a similar situation, what would I do, what decisions would I potentially make and what would my standpoint be from an ethical perspective. I found the characters to be slightly underdeveloped, especially those of Kate, Jay and Davis (perhaps slightly one dimensional and predictable) but Eve seemed to be much more well-rounded especially as her story developed.

Hearing Bradley speak at #adlWW about this book really gave me a different appreciation for it that I hadn’t considered whilst I was reading it and I definitely look forward to exploring his back catalogue.

“She wanted this. This new understanding that love was never everything you wanted or needed it to be. It was uncontrollable, it misbehaved. It tethered you but helped make you free.”

Holy shit this book. It took me like nothing has taken me for quite a while. It moved at a simmering pace through the first part; we follow and move with Mina, her thoughts and struggles as she travels home to be with her mother who has recently left the house for the first time in twelve years. The second part sees us swept into Elaine’s world and the separate lives she has been living for the past few decades. This section of the book was astonishing and left such an impression on me. It well encapsulated the intertwined lives of parents and children as well as the unknown life that a parent carries separate to their children - a life children often give little to no thought of until they’re a parent themselves. To journey with Mina through to the end as she makes the realisation of her unawareness of Elaine’s life aside from her existence was a truly wonderful journey to make with Mina, especially as she gains understanding and develops acceptance of a life she had never given much real thought or consideration to. As a daughter, I truly adored this book. It has taught me so much.

4.5 stars.

I held off reading this one as I had heard of it's difficult subject matter and whilst it is difficult, I shouldn't have worried as much as I did.

Set in the luscious surrounds of the Grampians beginning in the 1950's with a horrendous act of grooming and spans approximately forty years before ending in heartbreak. Lawrence is a clever and talented young boy who loves his younger brother and pines for the father he hardly knew. When his uncle comes to stay with their family he begins to revere this sudden male presence he's craved for so long. As unspeakable events begin to unfold Lawrence is changed. He develops a stutter, he loses the boy he was and develops mechanisms to cope that only he is understanding of. There are still glimpses of the brilliance in Lawrence as he develops as an artist devoting his life to the one outlet that gives him respite.

Whilst this was a terribly tough book to read, more so it forced me to sit with the discomfort I found within myself as the story and Lawrence's life developed. Yes the events that Lawrence faced were abhorrent, what I found even more confronting was the behaviour of the people surrounding him. In my eyes these characters are a reflection of society and the sheer lack of understanding we have as a community for abused children. These children who as they develop into adults retain their childlike comprehension of the world, who are trying to grasp what happened to them and why, trying to process their shame and reclusion; because whilst their bodies may age, their minds clearly remain at an age they cannot surpass. Lawrence was a boy who needed help who never received any which is the most shameful part of all.

"... far from being known to me, my closest familiar, my son, is now an unknown. One each visit to Daniel I travel toward this unknown; I do not know what I will find when I arrive and this alone makes the pain of these confrontations bearable."

A lyrical, atmospheric novel about grief and its subsequent trauma over the course of a life in its many different forms. Lohrey's prose flowed through me like a calming babbling brook - even though some of the subject matter was anything but calming. A slight tale about the numerous relationships we hold throughout life, yet big with intimate impact.