Oh, David Yoon. What a gem of a novel you have given us. The emotion, the descriptions, the honest-to-God realness of everything... this is a coming-of-age tale for anyone who's ever felt confused by love, by family and by life. This is book is light as a feather and as heavy as a winter stew. I laughed with Frank, I rooted for him and his friends, and I cried. Man, did I cry.
Critics (though I can't imagine there being many) might say it has a tinge of predictability, but that would be a lie: this book's twists and turns come from the places you'd least expect. Sure, it's a love story, but by the end you'll be wondering just exactly whose love story it is. This novel doesn't gloss over the harsh realities of the world: Mr. Yoon serves us life, with all of its peaks and valleys. I commend him for not sugar-coating the experience of a young Korean-American man who just wants to fit in somewhere, anywhere.
I read this book in one afternoon (and it's not a quick read). Frankly (you'll be doing that, too), it just wasn't enough. Thankfully, the powers that be (read: Hollywood) are planning to make this into a movie, so I can relive it again. Fingers crossed that this is not the last we hear of Frank and his motley crew (especially Q!). I would've loved an epilogue twenty years from the end of the novel.
So if you're on the fence, hop over it and run to your nearest bookstore in September. Frank Li will be waiting.
Critics (though I can't imagine there being many) might say it has a tinge of predictability, but that would be a lie: this book's twists and turns come from the places you'd least expect. Sure, it's a love story, but by the end you'll be wondering just exactly whose love story it is. This novel doesn't gloss over the harsh realities of the world: Mr. Yoon serves us life, with all of its peaks and valleys. I commend him for not sugar-coating the experience of a young Korean-American man who just wants to fit in somewhere, anywhere.
I read this book in one afternoon (and it's not a quick read). Frankly (you'll be doing that, too), it just wasn't enough. Thankfully, the powers that be (read: Hollywood) are planning to make this into a movie, so I can relive it again. Fingers crossed that this is not the last we hear of Frank and his motley crew (especially Q!). I would've loved an epilogue twenty years from the end of the novel.
So if you're on the fence, hop over it and run to your nearest bookstore in September. Frank Li will be waiting.