Reviewed by Christy
Estella
and Gwendolyn are part of a very large and very rich Chinese-Indonesian family.
The two sisters have always been close and each other’s best friends. So when
Gwendolyn finds herself in a coma, unable to regain consciousness but still
fully aware, she is devastated and confused. She is the only survivor of
Estella’s poisoning of their entire family (as well as a significant number of family
friends) at their grandfather’s birthday celebration.
The
entire novel consists of Gwendolyn rifling through her memories and trying to
figure out what could push Estella so far over the edge. Tsao writes a
compelling narrative. Gwendolyn jumps around in time quite a bit, and it can be
disorienting. But I think it works well with a mystery as she slowly reveals
more information. It also seemed realistic given her circumstances. The story
of the family’s climb to power and wealth is rich and layered, as are Estella
and Gwendolyn as characters. Tsao’s writing is mostly straight forward with
poetic dashes thrown in here and there. I enjoyed my time reading her book –
for the most part.
The
ending, however, is where it almost all collapses for me. I don’t want to spoil
anything for anyone but it includes a trope that is, in my opinion, very
overdone and one of my least favorites. It’s particularly disappointing because
I do think the story is strong and with a few tweaks of the ending, it would be
a solid 4 or 5 star read. There didn’t need to be a gimmick. As it is, it was
only an unexceptional 3 star read for me. If you’re a reader who doesn’t let an
unsatisfying ending negatively influence your reading experience, you might
like it more.
** I received a copy of this book
from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **
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