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Jun 26, 2018talk2terih rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
First and foremost, author Ng is a marvelous writer. Her craft is impeccable. The characters in this book are so real that you will swear you have met them and known them somewhere. This book is a study of motherhood, of all of the things motherhood is and is not, of how we mother and of how we fail to do so. Secondarily it is about family, what defines a family, and how families interrelate. Although Ng focuses primarily on her female characters, her male characters are beautifully drawn and relatable. While they are slightly more stereotypical than the females (the jock, the angtsty brainiac, the diversity boyfriend, the dad, the frightened adoptive father, the hopeful surrogate father), they are still largely sympathetic characters that you can like and root for. And nearly all of them experience growth as the story unfolds. Each character and each family has its flaws and strengths. None of these are bad people. Each is well-intentioned, but their POVs and opinions differ, and it is at these myriad points of contention that the wheel of this story turns. This book is an exceptionally beautiful piece of work on many levels and I will look forward eagerly to future works by this author.