I have like ten things in progress, but last night I finished Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021), a selection of the book discussion group I’m facilitating at the office. I rather enjoyed it. Full review later.
Next up: Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin (2000), winner of the Booker Prize and Time Magazine’s best book of 2000.
I’m not keen on Asian-American stories that self-consciously depict Asian culture, especially if this is a prominent aspect of the story. Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings or Eric Byler’s film adaptation, Amercianese.But Interior Chinatown is an exception. This book resonated with me, expressing sentiments that I feel strongly.
The book has a clever way of doing this, although some may find this gimmicky. While I can understand this criticism, it ultimately didn’t bother me. The overall ideas and sentiments outweighed any flaws or limitations.
The story follows Willis Wu who is trying to make in the film industry–specifically, become a leading man, instead of playing generic and/or stereotypical part.
Apparently the book won the National Book Award. I don’t know if it deserves that, but it definitely spoke to me.
I have like ten things in progress, but last night I finished Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021), a selection of the book discussion group I’m facilitating at the office. I rather enjoyed it. Full review later.
Next up: Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin (2000), winner of the Booker Prize and Time Magazine’s best book of 2000.
I also read Klara and the Sun for a book club. It was a solid read, and it lead to some good discussions.
Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
I’m not keen on Asian-American stories that self-consciously depict Asian culture, especially if this is a prominent aspect of the story. Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings or Eric Byler’s film adaptation, Amercianese.But Interior Chinatown is an exception. This book resonated with me, expressing sentiments that I feel strongly.
The book has a clever way of doing this, although some may find this gimmicky. While I can understand this criticism, it ultimately didn’t bother me. The overall ideas and sentiments outweighed any flaws or limitations.
The story follows Willis Wu who is trying to make in the film industry–specifically, become a leading man, instead of playing generic and/or stereotypical part.
Apparently the book won the National Book Award. I don’t know if it deserves that, but it definitely spoke to me.