The Last Summer of Ada Bloom by Martine Murray

The Last Summer of Ada Bloom by Martine Murray
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There was a lot I liked about this novel and some things I wanted more from. We follow a family who each have their own struggles. While this tries to be a character driven novel I felt that the second half gets very plot heavy and we lose the character analysis. I wanted more exploration on the topic of male child favoritism and I wanted more analysis on Arnold’s character. Even though Martha was infuriating at times I felt that her character had the most layers as the book progressed. I enjoyed reading this novel despite some of the issues I had. It reminded me in some ways of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett although not as strong.

Thanks to Tin House for the early copy!

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That Hair by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeid

That Hair by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“Making peace with ourselves in, I think to myself, like making peace with our ancestry, as though being at ease in our own skin were the consequence of the comfort brought by having a family.”

This was a tiny book that reads like a semi-autobiography of the authors life growing up in Lisbon. The author weaves in the history of her family along side how the people around her react to her hair and how she develops her own feelings about her hair. I resonated with the fact that Mila’s early attitude toward here hair was one of indifference, where it was a such a trivial matter to her until other’s like her white grandmother made comments like, “Tell me, Mila, when are you going to take care of that hair?” I feel that these are the turning points we have in our own thought patterns where we adopt the opinions of others. As if our hair, our skin or bodies are a problem that need to be fixed.

The writing style might not be for everyone but I thought it was a great that the author shared her story in this way.

Thank you to Tin House for the early copy!

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The Magical Language of Others by E.J. Koh

The moment I started this memoir I was sucked in and wanted to know more about E.J. Koh and her family. They are a South Korean family who had been living in America for many years. Koh’s father received a job offer in South Korea so both her parent’s decided to go and leave 15 year old Koh and her older brother alone in California. This separation affected Koh deeply. While apart for about 6-7 years Koh’s mother wrote her letters to bridge the absence. At the time Koh didn’t have a strong grasp on the Korean language. Koh found the letter’s after many years and translated them for this memoir. Koh studied translation and poetry in college.

I was curious to know what it does to a teenager to not have parents around during such pivotal moments in their lives. Koh retreated inward and seemed to just drift along, feeling alone for much of her life. We also read very briefly about her eating disorder and suicidal thoughts. The complex emotions are no explored in detail and much is left to the readers interpretation.

There is history of the lives of her mother and grandmothers woven into this book so in some ways it didn’t feel like a true memoir. But I think understanding these stories helped shape our understanding of the author’s life. I loved that Koh found her calling in poetry which served as an anchor for her.

The book is very slim at only about 200 pages and I could have easily read many more about the complexity of Koh’s life. Overall I was very swept away by this memoir and would love to reread and examine it further. Koh’s writing is truly beautiful…

“Nobody loves you like your mother. Not your father, not your husband, and not your children. While your parents are alive, eat as much of their love as you can, so it can sustain you for the rest of your life.”

Thank you to Tin House for the gifted book. This in no way impacts my review. All opinions are my own.

Expected Publication: Jan 7, 2020 by Tin House