2/5 Stars (%32/100)
An another book that I would probably stop reading if it was assigned to me. I did not hate it but there were lots of things that I did not like so it gets a two star barely.
The beginning of the book was actually pretty good. We learn from the getgo that Lydia is dead and that her family is unaware. There is an awkward silence going on at the dinner table and everyone shows what they are feeling through actions. I really liked that Ng decided to use the approach "show don't tell." However, as the story goes on, we learn pretty much everything through inner dialogues. I swear half of the book is written in italics. I wish she would leave some thinking to us rather than presenting everything in a platter.
I also found most of the characters very character-like. Let me explain. They don't really feel like real people. There are many instances that I laughed out loud because I thought it was a joke. Sometimes you want a character to say something to another character and it happens in this book. Whatever you think they would say, they do. You have to check out some of the quotations or read the book yourself to understand it. They don't feel alive or interesting at all. (Except for Lydia, maybe)
Lastly, I found the book very overrated. Lots of 5 stars from people here, many praises from a variety of critics and even some awards. I am speechless. Yes, there were some interesting parts about the book but it is definitely not award worthy in my opinion. I wrote a long essay about the book and also presented it in class. And now I am writing this fairly long review and finally saying goodbye to this book. Farewell and hopefully I'll never see you again.
