This was a fun read. So much of the book's summary spoke to me, a second-gen Chinese-American whose scientist parents were affected by the Cultural Revolution, so I was excited to dive in.

While the circumstances of Matthew and Lily meeting independently of their parents seemed farfetched, the book does a good job of depicting generational trauma and the ethics of science. It's grand in its ambition, but there were a couple dangling threads that felt unaddressed, like the opposite of Chekhov's gun. As much as I love magical realism, I found the use of stopping time to be so extraneous to the book. It didn't advance or add to the plot or character development in a way that I found to be critical; it could have not been a thing and the book would still maintain its sturdiness, imo! Same with the message that Ping gave to Lily to pass onto Mei/May. Or the entire relationship of Nick and Miranda.

To Rachel Khong's credit, the extraneous parts didn't feel extraneous as I was reading them; she's a very compelling and gripping writer, but it wasn't until I had finished the novel and was trying to piece together my thoughts that I realized that there was a lot in this book. Kind of like when you eat a really good meal and it's not until an hour later when you realize that you feel a little bloated.

The novel could have been tightened up and streamlined a little more without shedding its substance, but all in all, I found this an enjoyable read.