... heartbreaking ... as Kaleidoscope unfolds into a novel much bigger than the sum of its parts: a story of family, grief and identity and what it means to make a life out of an 'opportunity, an aberration, scooped up through... unspeakable loss.'
Telling a beautiful and heartbreaking story through fragments of the sisters’ lives, Wong shows how they’ve been shaped by the many experiences they’ve lived through, and how different perspectives can change the way we understand the truth.
True to its title, Wong’s overarching account of one family’s business is told with beautiful imagery but reveals individual pieces that show how things are not what they appear to be. This story of people, culture, and lifestyles will be appreciated by readers who enjoy novels involving families and their secrets.
Wong captures the fierce bond and stark differences between two mixed-race Chinese American sisters ... The author balances her characters’ palpable emotions with whip-smart commentary on cultural commodification ... It’s a smash.
Told in beautiful detail with quippy dialogue and visceral New York details ... Told from various perspectives, skipping backward and forward through time, the kaleidoscopic narrative allows readers to form their own opinions about the Brightons and their decisions, getting a glimpse of the way people behave on the worst days of their lives and thereafter ... A deftly written family saga that explores—and challenges—the contemporary American dream and the meaning of home and family.
