Many thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this novel by Lisa Lee. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!
Jane Kim and her brother, Kevin, are growing up in San Francisco in the 1980s, trying to keep up with their parents demands. But in 2002, Jane is not going to her law school classes, and Kevin, a police officer, is distant and spiraling. Their parents have changed too - they are separated, her dad with a new job, and her mom stresses over her aging face.
Probably every child on earth strives to please their parents just as their parents want them to achieve, but some cultures do that in spades. The stress to have perfect grades, be the best tennis player, and to look and act a certain way would wear on the hardiest of souls. You can see the cracks in this family form early and grow wider. It was a multilayered, thoughtful book, told from Jane's POV, with mostly unlikable characters, yet ones that you can't help wishing peace and healing.
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