collecting myself and my thoughts because i’m a literal heaving sobbing mess at the moment but this book came out of NOWHERE and just blew me awaywow.
collecting myself and my thoughts because i’m a literal heaving sobbing mess at the moment but this book came out of NOWHERE and just blew me away wowowowowowow. i feel like my late dad put this book on my path because he knew i needed it and i just—it’s so powerful to have books that represent specific life experiences that feel isolating like caretaking immigrant parents who are ill, navigating complicated family dynamics locally and overseas, always feeling a sense of displacement even when “home.”
THIS moment: “At some point along the way, maybe in that moment, I collapsed proximity with love. And as I got older, I kept moving and moving. From Vancouver, to Providence, to London, to New York. Because whenever I started to feel attached to a place, to a people, I wanted—subconsciously—to be the first to leave. These days, my relatives say, “Hurry up and come back to Hong Kong. Why do you leave your mother all alone?” And I am overcome with envy for the people who live where they are born and raised. Why is it that I have to choose?”
A feeling I have felt, as have so many Third Culture Kids I know also have, fully articulated in all its complexity. The power, the catharsis, the validation, the community… This is why it is so important to write, publish, adapt, and consume content diversely. So we can see ourselves in others from all over the world.
Do not sleep on this book about how you move through, honor, talk about, and heal from loss and grief when your culture and family dynamic refuses to communicate or discuss feelings. The prose is beautiful, poetic, loving, tender, vulnerable, honest, and true. The audiobook, read by the author, is an estimated 4h listen at 1x speed, it’s truly a beautiful short read that will truly enrich your life in a deep, satisfying way (albeit likely with some tears). i finished it in about 1.5 hours and am fully in love :))
100% a new favorite book I will be recommending to everyone I know.
Highly recommend for lovers of the film The Farewell (2019), as well as Minari (2020), The Descendants (2011), and About Time (2013). But honestly, it’s one of those books everyone should read....more
literal perfection. so relatable. love that mary hk choi was fiercely advocating for her self interests from such a young age with her “i told my mom literal perfection. so relatable. love that mary hk choi was fiercely advocating for her self interests from such a young age with her “i told my mom i loved money more than i loved her.” i cry. adore adore adore this short audible original and highly recommend everyone take 15 minutes out of their day to listen to mary hk choi narrate her love letter to her mom <3
4.5 stars rounded up. longer review to come :)) but tl;dr is that i’m absolutely obsessed with this short story collection, i think next to alissa nut4.5 stars rounded up. longer review to come :)) but tl;dr is that i’m absolutely obsessed with this short story collection, i think next to alissa nutting’s unclean jobs for women and girls, ottessa moshfegh’s homesick for another world: stories is my favorite short story collection i have ever read in my life. bible....more
i feel conflicted because love the characters but the plot was chock full of my least favorite tropes—namely, instalove and miscommunication. the maini feel conflicted because love the characters but the plot was chock full of my least favorite tropes—namely, instalove and miscommunication. the main “conflict” hinges on both, which if either party had an actual conversation with each other when the first hearsay event happened, this book would have been 4-5 chapters long. but, as an og sookie stackhouse novels / southern vampires book series eric northman stan, we loved erik. he is great. and they were cute together! but this plot…was a challenge for me, personally. miss hazelwood did make the experience enjoyable, her writing voice as readable as ever. i did laugh a lot, had fun, a good time, despite my pet peeve tropes being present. i still think i prefer Under One Roof, though; even though I may be more of an Erik girlie than I am a Liam girlie ...more
THAT WAS SO FREAKING CUTE. Like—what? That epilogue, my heart !!! I looooooooooooooved the premise of this story, our environmental engineer MC Mara’sTHAT WAS SO FREAKING CUTE. Like—what? That epilogue, my heart !!! I looooooooooooooved the premise of this story, our environmental engineer MC Mara’s mentor at her environmental agency who is like a mother/aunt to her, passes away and leaves her her half of a summer rental that is currently also co-owned by our male romantic lead and Aunt Helena’s nephew, Liam, who is a lawyer for a firm that defends big-oil and corporations that pollute the earth big time—a classic enemies-to-lovers set up. We see our MCs battle it out under one roof as over the course of 6 months they start to get to know each other through living together and find out all is not what it seems and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I forgot how fun and invigorating Ali Hazelwood’s writing is! Her writing voice is so personable, fun, funny, and endearing. It’s like hanging out with a best friend and hearing them tell you the funniest story that’s also a little dirty lol. ‘cause, wow. I also forgot how her spicy scenes are (ha!) like, wow—it’s intense. But also fun. I’m always covering my agape mouth with my hand while reading like: ...more
never been happier to be vegan in my life brb gonna go delete all my dating apps
honestly can’t decide if i want to rate this two stars or five stars never been happier to be vegan in my life brb gonna go delete all my dating apps
honestly can’t decide if i want to rate this two stars or five stars like i’ve never felt more conflicted in my life which i feel like means i should rate it 5 stars idk maybe i need to marinate on this further but also want to forget everything i now know all at once lmao
To say that the 4-time Academy Award nominated film Drive My Car was only based on the singular short story of the same name, “Drive My Car,” from HarTo say that the 4-time Academy Award nominated film Drive My Car was only based on the singular short story of the same name, “Drive My Car,” from Haruki Murakami’s masterful short story collection, Men Without Women is a disservice to both said short story collection and the adapted film. Intricately interweaving “Drive My Car,” “An Independent Organ,” “Scheherazade,” “Men Without Women,” together in surprising, unexpected ways, these stunning collection of stories originally only connected to each other through their common thematic through-line of men without women are imbued with further depth and complexity through their newfound connection with each other. Each story tender, poignant, ethereal, and ephemeral in their own way, Murakami adeptly navigates the loneliness these several men feel without their respective women with an accessible nature and an empathetic heart.
Highly recommend to fans of Kazuo Ishiguro (Never Let Me Go), Yoko Ogawa (The Memory Police, The Housekeeper and the Professor), Ottessa Moshfegh (My Year of Rest an Relaxation), Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Elena Ferrente (The Lost Daughter)....more
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