katietotallybooked's Reviews (785)

Overall I liked this book, but I was equally confused by it. I spent the first 25% confused about what was happening. Then I was mildly entertained as the pace quickened during the middle, and I stayed engaged throughout the end. But I struggled to understand the point of this novel. And now 3 days later, it is already very forgettable to me.

It's just a case of myself as a reader not matching the book, which is always a risk when I'm reading all titles from a nominated list.

From Novelist:
Themes: Facing racism
Identities: Indigenous; Multiracial
Storyline: Issue-oriented; Multiple perspectives; Own voices
Mood: Bittersweet; Moving; Gritty 

Not a book for me. It was dry and repetative. 

I thought for sure that I had read this book before, but perhaps I've only seen the movie? I quite enjoyed the writing and it was a very intriguing topic to read about. It would have been a much heavier read if it was narrated by the mother and told from her perspective. I have mixed feelings about having Jack as the narrator. It certainly didn't work for me on audio, so I read most of this book with the physical copy.

I think it was well done and I felt convinced by the author that was in Jack's mind and experiencing it as he would have. It felt very authentic. 

The EA Book Club members were divisive in their views. Some liked it, but others didn't even finish it and gave it a very strong "No thank you!".

I hope to read more Emma Donoghue in the future. 

From Novelist:
Storyline: Child narrator; First person narratives
Mood: Disturbing; Haunting; Suspenseful
Style: Fast-paced; Character-driven 

Engaging, interesting, and I'm looking forward to continuing with Part II. The use of anthropomorphism is an excellent way to add another layer of depth to the story. All the Jewish stories from this time period are so tragic and heartbreaking. 

From Novelist:
Characterization: Anthropomorphic characters
Mood: Haunting; Serious; Moving
Illustration: Black-and-white illustrations; Bold illustrations; Cartoony illustrations 

Storyline: Intricately plotted
Mood: Suspenseful
Style: Atmospheric

What a wild ride! I was very entertained while reading this. The writing was very atmospheric. I really felt like I was in the Scottish Isles as I could visualize the setting so clearly. The audio production was also incredibly well-done so I highly recommend the audiobook as well.

My reading experience actually made me realize that I do enjoy reading mysteries. They are very fun, and I like wondering what is going to happen next. So I do want to explore reading more thrillers in the future.

There were many great quotes, mostly about grief, in this novel too.

"Grief is a patient thief and steals far more than people who have never known it have realized."

"Success is often the result of a series of failures. Try to remember that. You never learn anything from success, but failure can teach you everything about a person. Especially yourself."

"Are there any benefits to losing it all? I think about that a lot. Your thoughts can change shape when you have too much time on your hands. Overthinking the things you think you need to worry about, underthinking the things you should. The only good thing about losing everything is having nothing left to lose."

"People rarely know what they have until they lose it. They spend their lives searching for a better one, wanting more, needing more, blind to the fact that they already had it all. I think sometimes it is only when something gets taken from a person that they appreciate what they had."

"Wives think their husbands will change but they don't. Husbands think their wives won't change, but they do." 

"Grief is like a fingerprint, different every time. Mine is not like yours and you are not like me, but I doubt that is within your spectrum of understanding."

"Men still rule this world and as a result the world is broken. Men still hold most positions of power, men control governments, men control the media, and it is always men who start wars. Men have tricked women into thinking they see us as equals, but real equality, for all women everywhere, still feels like little more than a pipe dream." 

"Nobody really knows anything. The only certainty in life is uncertainty. We're all just a bad roll of the dice away from being right back at the bottom of the ladder we spent our whole lives climbing."

Candid writing, a bit of spice, author is very upfront. It just didn't jive much with me even though I found his story interesting. 

I flew threw this one, not just because I've been in bed sick, but because it had really engaging writing. It was both informative and beautiful in how it was written. I love the short chapters and the vignette writing style. It mixed Cambodian history with personal storytelling. Also, it was published posthumously after the author passed of cancer at the age of 42, which made the motherhood portions especially gripping to read.

I think this might be the Canada Reads 2025 book to beat! I learned so much about Chinese history and stateless immigrants. I connected with the powerful theme of motherhood and the post-partum struggles of Lilly, our main character. I can see how this might "change the narrative" because it certainly opened my eyes to the experiences of others who also call Canada home.

I doubt I would have ever picked this up on my own, so thank you to Canada Reads for bringing it to my read shelf. 

From Novelist:

Storyline: Own voices
Characterization: Well-developed characters
Mood: Moving; Reflective; Bittersweet
Style: Lyrical; Character-driven