A somewhat overstuffed narrative ... In the book’s stronger moments, Lieu illuminates the daily grind — and drive — of her immigrant parents’ experience
By searching for ways to honor both her mother's economic and emotional impact after her passing, Lieu's memoir encompasses both social and familial dimensions ... Her family story does not represent an irretrievable demise of the American Dream, but its radical, open-ended evolution.
While parts of the first half of the narrative lack focus, the second half—about the author’s investigation of her mother’s death—is fast-paced, vulnerable, humorous, and empathetic. Lieu’s compassionate epiphanies about her family’s reasons for silence are particularly poignant.
