I don’t really use a starring system because I find quantitative ratings to be generally unhelpful. For example, I would probably give my favorite romance book—and the only one I return to over and over—a solid three-stars for prose quality, but it’s my favorite because it contains exactly the sort of fantastical escape I need. So instead, here are some comments. No spoilers ahead!
Read (Books)
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen: Recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this is a darkly comic book about a half-Vietnamese, half-French dude who comes to America as a refugee after the Fall of Saigon. The kicker? He’s an undercover communist agent. The author writes with striking empathy, never reducing his Vietnamese characters to caricatures, a refreshing feat in a media landscape laser-focused on the American experience of the Vietnam War. I’m usually not a fan of spy capers, political intrigue, or war stories, but The Sympathizer is so well-crafted, I fell wholeheartedly into the narrative anyway. If I had to make a critique, I would say that it is overwritten at times, in that self-indulgent debut-author way where the lingering description or metaphor doesn’t actually fit the character.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: My friend Cher told me it’s her favorite book, so even though I've read The Lying Lives of Adults (also by Ferrante) and didn’t love it, I decided to try the The Neapolitan Quartet. And I’m glad I did—this was an incisive exploration of female friendship. Ferrante writes with remarkable honesty, treating the experience of her protagonist with so much depth and seriousness in a world that often seeks to dismiss the feelings and concerns of young women. The prose is clear and knows that its purpose is only as a conduit for the untranslatable inner life. That being said, like The Lying Lives of Adults, I don’t know if this book will leave a lasting impression. Reddit advises that the full impact comes from all four books read together, so I’ll give the sequel a shot.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: I read Flynn’s other two books, Gone Girl and Dark Places, back in high school. Gone Girl is still my favorite thriller. But Sharp Objects was mostly a letdown. Unlike Gone Girl, it felt devoid of any interesting observations about gendered expectations or societal hypocrisy or anything else. The actual mystery was unsurprising, and the best part of the book was the characterization of our deeply-traumatized, self-harming, alcoholic narrator. Being trapped in her head felt like an underwater scream. But I will say this: this novel did succeed in the most essential way for a thriller. I couldn’t put it down and tore through it in two days.
C++ Brain Teasers by Anders Schau Knatten: I’m including this one for shits and giggles. I’ve had a bunch of job interviews recently (as a reminder, I work on compilers) and wanted to brush up on C++. It’s full of tricky questions about what certain code snippets will do when compiled, often hinging on obscure corners of the C++ standard. In the end, it didn’t actually help me improve much. For interview prep, you're way better off just grinding LeetCode.
Read (Not Books):
My friend Alec sent me this review of Ocean Vuong’s newest novel, The Emperor of Gladness. The gist is that this novel is a big step up from his debut, which is promising, as I couldn’t finish that one. As for the review itself, as I told Alec: it shines most when criticizing Vuong’s “diaspora poet” image, but stumbles when making sweeping prescriptive observations on life or whatever.
I picked up Franny Choi’s poetry collection at the library, and this poem is the one I keep returning to. I’m not sure why; it’s not the most innovative or well-written in the collection, and there’s an underlying “nature’s revenge against industrialization” vibe that seems silly. I don’t know. Maybe the silliness is what makes the poem fun!
This reflection by Yiyun Li, on the death of her two sons (both by suicide). She writes with tremendous clarity and respect for her children’s autonomy. It’s a very sad read, obviously, but it’s an honor to bear witness to her experience.
Watched:
I was looking forward to The Materialists (A24 flick, directed by Celine Song, and starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, Chris Evans) forever and convinced seven friends to join me in an advanced screening. I must’ve watched the trailer a dozen times. Unfortunately, the movie was a disappointment. Besides the beautiful cinematography, it fell flat. I could say a lot about the movie—its clumsy handling of a potentially-triggering subplot, its lead actress’s wooden affect, its unearned emotional payoff—but the most interesting angle might be the cultural tension that arises from the deep entanglement of dating and money. Although, let’s be honest, is there anything that Jane Austen hasn’t already said?
The Wedding Banquet really made me wish there was better queer Asian American media with mainstream visibility. Huge fan of the cast, and credit where it’s due—the effort behind the project is clear. I just . . . I watched it and promptly forgot about it. In my opinion, Fire Island, another romantic comedy starring Bowen Yang, is much better.
I got through all of White Lotus season 3. I was mostly there to see beautiful, sweeping panoramas of Thailand, and on that front, I ate so well. The plot was totally ridiculous, but whatever. Rich people shenanigans are fun.
Listened:
I’m not a huge music or podcast girlie but I will mention Sabrina Carpenter’s new single, “Manchild”, and the uproar surrounding her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend. Specifically, her cover art:
the pose that launched a thousand thinkpieces!
Look, I think her new song is a bop and the accompanying video perfectly captures the vibe I aspire for my own life (messy, free, expansive). I also think the outrage is overblown. Some of y’all need to touch grass. It’s not that deep.
“Okay, but this is going to make young girls think that it’s normal to let men demean you—”
I don’t know. If you’re truly worried about the sexual freedom of girls and women, maybe direct that energy toward protecting our reproductive rights?
Things I’m excited for:
The library finally loaned me The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei, whom I saw at Green Apple Books during her book tour!
The trailer for The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3 just dropped. Cue squealing.
Same takes on materialist