freddie's reviews
295 reviews

This gave me nightmares about my work, haha. It's not badly written per se, just that the subject matter is something I see almost every day ad nauseam, being an engineer at a factory. The use of punctuation as a stand-in for "product" is a bit awkward, but I suppose something structured as a fable needs not be deep at every aspect. I read this at a good time and I have a good memory associated with reading this.

The two storylines, occuring at different times, converge beautifully in this novel. It makes you think of how constant but inevitable (and sucky) uncertainties are, especially when there is loss involved.

The bittersweet ending invokes a sense of both loss and fulfillment in me. You feel sad that you are now "far" from the character yet you feel happy that the character has found happiness and contentment.

Beautiful story of a friendship between two girls. The characters of the girls are relatable. Characters flaws are presented honestly without gimmick.

A story about a person's struggle against individuals who bully with their powers. The narrative is presented as a comedy of some sort, which I think slightly diminishes the emotional stake in the story, but maybe I feel that way because I'm just in a dramatic mood right now. Shao Bin is an underdog character to root for, even when his character flaws (pride and tactlessness) are infuriating.

An amazing novel with honest writing that is not trying to hard to be "Western contemporary" or "Malaysiana". It pokes fun at many crazy aspects of Malaysian life. The characters are well developed and have unique voices. The writing is funny too.

The ending is crazy and a bit messed up. The whole novel starts very grounded but as it progresses it becomes more and more chaotic and dreamy. The short chapters do make the pacing feel fast though, and sometimes it makes the alternating switches between POV a bit dizzying.

Lovely story of a young woman's self realization written in a matter-of-fact, occasionally dry, style. It is interesting to how Jeanette (the MC) struggles to reconcile the differences between her own wants and the expectations put on her. While there is a clear sense of who or what is the antagonizing force in the plot, in general the main characters are not one-dimensional. A beautiful book.

What a tour de force! The narrator's voice is full of energy. This book is a page turner. We follow a child trying to make some sense about the world around her - both in her home country of Zimbabwe and her new country the US. The character development in this is subtle, but in my opinion, is also quite powerful.

Such a disappointment! I thought it was going to be about a female main character with some agency, but Lol Stein barely has a voice in this book. The novel is narrated by a guy who would become Lol's lover. The first half of the book was a decent exploration of Lol's backstory but then halfway that narrator turned himself into the main character and I felt extremely cheated. GTFO, Jack!