PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewCompelling ... The Issa-Nasser-Mehran plot is the novel’s most intriguing, but it’s hampered by other competing dramas ... Consequently, Issa, and our emotional investment, sometimes feel splintered among too many concerns ... Raises the possibility that love — or more vitally, connection — can still be forged in a difficult world.
Yang Huang
MixedThe New York Times Book ReviewHuang’s latest explores the generational push-pull of family life in post-Tiananmen China ... The story moves quickly, rendered in straightforward prose. While occasionally flat, the deliberate plainness of the writing reflects Mr. Cai’s no-nonsense mentality and his willingness to articulate harsh truths ... the novel contains other dramatic threads [...] At times, these threads compete [...] the novel’s initial dramatic engine, ultimately feels rushed and underutilized.
