The subject matter in this book was brutal but the writing was so beautiful, the prose so insightful that the story also held tenderness and deep explorations of friendship, family, and love. The history that Crystal Hana Kim is sharing is one that needs to be known. Her use of alternating timelines and viewpoints allows for a deeper understanding of the complexities of the situation and how survival can force cruel behavior from good people.

I liked this book at the beginning, but as the story progressed, I became less sure. There were some plot points I struggled with, such as a 30 year old man wondering how he feels about a young girl. I 'm giving it 3 stars because I enjoyed getting multiple POVs, and the non-linear structure of the story. Some parts were better than others. I don't want to spoil anything, but I felt like the author lost control of the plot and of her writing by the end.

I have read and enjoyed some of Holly Goldberg Sloan's books for younger readers. Some of the devices she uses in those books, really don't work in this book, intended for adults. There is so much that is unrealistic about this plot. I think the author could have used a sensitivity reading as well. Some of her word choices are potentially offensive, and I struggled with the whole idea of this white family from the mainland settling in Hawai'i when so many Native Hawaiians are struggling with cultural survival.

All this being said, I found that the plot moved at a fast pace and was full of twists.

I'm torn about whether I would recommend this one.

I was awed by this debut novel. Abbas' beautiful, descriptive writing plus the viewpoint of five characters made for such an immersive reading experience.

This history is so recent and important, and yet I have come across very few novels that highlight the conflict in South Sudan. Because we hear from five different voices, we see the motivation behind actions we might normally question and Abbas demonstrates how complicated and tenuous the situation was for each of the five.

It is a sad story, but not without joy and even some humor, most especially in the interactions between these five, unforgettable people.

This book will stick with me for a long time. After a debut like this, I look forward to reading more from Fatin Abbas!

Resoketswe Manenzhe is a storyteller per her author bio, and this is so apparent in the stories woven together in Scatterlings. Combining a shameful chapter in South African history with myths and foklore from the time, Manenzhe creates a beautiful and at the same time, educational, reading experience. The book is told through varying points of view and takes us back and forth through time, all of which adds layers to this rich novel. I especially liked getting a child's perspective and attempt to understand the 1927 Immorality Act in South Africa. A wonderful way to underscore the extremity and unfairness of such a time. A masterpiece of a story!

I always love reading a book of interconnected short stories and this is no exception. Each one of these stories, taken on its own, is a beautiful meditation on the relationship between people and nature, human interactions, and how these characters remember one another and their shared experiences. Taken as a collection, our understanding of these shared histories deepens. Henrietta Atkins, a recurring character for Barrett, is a tether in many of these stories and the lens through which we view not the natural and scientific world, so masterfully written here.
I plan to go back to Barrett's earlier work to enrich what I have read here.

In Activities of Daily Living, Lisa Hsiao Chen expertly weaves together two storylines: The Father, in which main character Alice is caring for her aging step-father, and The Artist, in which Alice is creating a project that studies the works of performance artist Teching Hsieh.

Both storylines examine time, how it is used, viewed, and passed. The structure of the book reflects this theme through its nonlinear chronology. Time skips around, is loose, a character itself. Chen deftly uses Alice's project to inform readers about true-to-life events and people in the art world, while easily bringing us back to the moving story of a man succumbing to dementia.

This amazing book asks whether a life without creativity is worth living, and is the act of creativity more important than the outcome. It is a mediation on the importance of art and what we do with the passing of time.

I highly recommend this book. Lee Ypi's personal story of coming-of-age in Albanian illuminated the history, politics, and culture of a part of a country that kept to itself. I learned something on every page. As told from Ypi's perspective, the information is provided to us in much the way she received it. She tells the first part of this story, when Albania was still closed off from the world, seemingly without hindsight so that when her world dramatically shifts, the reader feels as surprised as she does.

Ypi is an excellent writer. Masterfully adding humor to her sharp observations, all the while revealing how serious her world was.

New York, My City drew me in from the very first page. Every facet of this humorous, smart, brilliantly satirical novel is so finely tuned that to read it is to experience New York City along with Ekong Udousoro; the smells, the tastes, the lights. This book is a well delivered indictment of the lack of diversity in the publishing industry, the racism in American, and the tribalism in Nigeria as the effect every aspect of Udousoro's daily life.

Uwem Akpan's sentences are so well crafted that they have the power to make you squirm in disgust, recoil in horror, and laugh with delight in equal measure.

I loved this book!

At The Chinese Table by Carolyn Phillips was an unexpected delight! This book is called a "memoir with recipes," but it is so much more. Phillips provides history, geography, and a deep cultural study of all the parts of China and Taiwan that she encountered. I enjoy the personal anecdotes as she got to know and become accepted by her in-laws, and her boyfriend/husband introduced her to regional food in a way that made her, and her readers, appreciate the importance of taste, mouthfeel, temperature, appearance, and the way food can create an ambience of its own.

Phiilips says, "all of these appetizers have been created as silent requests for our undivided attention. They set the mood for leisurely meals that at first glance tease the senses and then very gradually sate our appetites. No instant gratification is ever offered. Instead, we must settle back and acquiesce, leaving the world behind."

And that is what this book offers as well.

This book is an excellent reminder of the groups of people who historically and still today have had to fight for bodily autonomy. Laing's work is incredibly well researched and highly informative. Using the lens of the life of psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich to examine the different ways in which a body can be marginalized, Laing writes about sick bodies, bodies that have experienced violence, sexual bodies, bodies used in protest, to create a very thought provoking look at bodies seeking liberation.

This was a hard book to put down. I was drawn in by the multiple perspectives, and the fact that the book opened by giving you the knowledge that something bad was going to happen. The author holds out until the very end to relieve this suspense. I thought this book was well written, but at times it felt like the author was trying too hard in her descriptions, so that they didn't read true. The dialogue seemed forced occasionally as well. Some of the story lines were interesting but I feel the author tried to address too many big issues without successfully making a point about any one of them. Yet, there was something compelling about this book and I have found that certain characters and scenes have stuck with me after its end.