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gwenswoons's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is really excellent — I read a comp that suggested this is for readers of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, but I think Pachinko is a more accurate comp for me. It has a similar grandly-sweeping time span, with deep and devastating insights about history and humanity through the lens of more closely personal and interpersonal moments.
I struggled a bit with the back third — the pacing of it overall and the use of the second person made it slower for me, and somehow it felt more practical: it landed more like the way the book needed to wrap up structurally than what needed to take place by emotional necessity. Ultimately it didn’t hit as deeply and personally as I wished, though as I said it’s totally excellent; I longed for more catharsis, more emotional outpouring perhaps, but that is also not the affect of the book or of the storytellers inside it.
Definitely recommend — I am curious about Goodbye, Vitamin now, though it make take me a while to get to Khong’s backlist. I’ll for sure take note of her future novels, if not immediately dive into them.
I struggled a bit with the back third — the pacing of it overall and the use of the second person made it slower for me, and somehow it felt more practical: it landed more like the way the book needed to wrap up structurally than what needed to take place by emotional necessity. Ultimately it didn’t hit as deeply and personally as I wished, though as I said it’s totally excellent; I longed for more catharsis, more emotional outpouring perhaps, but that is also not the affect of the book or of the storytellers inside it.
Definitely recommend — I am curious about Goodbye, Vitamin now, though it make take me a while to get to Khong’s backlist. I’ll for sure take note of her future novels, if not immediately dive into them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
emmy_likes_2_read's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cursing, Misogyny, Abandonment, and Alcohol
deedireads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Real Americans is a compulsively readable, three-timeline, multigenerational family saga that would make an excellent book club pick (especially during AAPI Heritage Month). I flew through its 400 pages in 24 hours!
It follows three characters, in this order: Lily, a young Chinese-American woman living in NYC in the 90s and early 00s who falls into a whirlwind romance with a (actually decent) rich white guy; Nick, their son, navigating early independence as he goes off to college and sets out to meet his father; and Mei/May, Lily’s mother, who came to the US after being displaced by the Cultural Revolution.
I really enjoyed this book, but admittedly, it has all the right things going for it when it comes to my taste. Family saga? Flawed characters? Multiple timelines? A sprinkle of science? A touch of mythology? A couple of well-placed plot twists? Sign me up. It’s up there in page count, but it never felt too long because the characters were well written and the prose and pacing read fast.
Don’t be surprised when you see this one flying off shelves and making best-of lists for the year. It sticks the landing right between literary novel and commercial success.
It follows three characters, in this order: Lily, a young Chinese-American woman living in NYC in the 90s and early 00s who falls into a whirlwind romance with a (actually decent) rich white guy; Nick, their son, navigating early independence as he goes off to college and sets out to meet his father; and Mei/May, Lily’s mother, who came to the US after being displaced by the Cultural Revolution.
I really enjoyed this book, but admittedly, it has all the right things going for it when it comes to my taste. Family saga? Flawed characters? Multiple timelines? A sprinkle of science? A touch of mythology? A couple of well-placed plot twists? Sign me up. It’s up there in page count, but it never felt too long because the characters were well written and the prose and pacing read fast.
Don’t be surprised when you see this one flying off shelves and making best-of lists for the year. It sticks the landing right between literary novel and commercial success.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Rape, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty
chainingbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to the The Knopf Team for providing this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Quote: “And yet, with the hubris of youth, I thought to myself: Everything. Given time, we not only could, we would know everything.”
“Real Americans” is a generational tale that resonated with me in ways that I didn’t expect. A story told in three parts, each highlighting a different generation, had moments that I would have to sit there and simply process what I read. I was in awe at how someone was able to write about experiences that I always struggled to put words to.
What I truly loved about this book was Khong’s ability to carry the central themes through each of the character’s perspectives, making it all feel truly connected. Even as we moved through the lives of three very different individuals, there were constant discussions of how one’s circumstances dictate the trajectory of their life, how time is ever fleeting, and how wealth does not always make one fortunate.
While carrying through these themes as a contemporary fiction, Khong was also managed to weave in some mystery and science fiction elements that had me glued to the pages, eager to learn the truth. However, I did find that the middle part of the story dragged for me a bit and I found it odd that the final portion of the story seemed to jump perspectives when the first two parts did not.
Despite those issues, I found that all of this came together to tell a beautiful story of how the gaps between people can grow quite large. As individuals the characters in this book all tried to do the best with what they had, taking what they’ve learned to try and do better. Their actions were mirrored in such fascinating ways by highlighting how hard it was for the younger generations to truly understand their intentions. As I was going back through the quotes I had highlighted, it made the story feel more rich realizing how much the final part of the book had me looking at the beginning differently.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Pregnancy, and Classism
carlack7's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Real Americans is not the type of book I typically read, but I am so glad the cover caught my attention. It was beautifully written and caught my mind going back over the story anytime I wasn't reading it. I didn't expect the path the book wandered, but the whole story was as lovely as it was heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Abortion, and Pregnancy