A beautiful premise, but didn't completely resonate with me
I wanted to love In the Garden Behind the Moon so much because I loved the unique way in which the author framed her memoir. While there were definitely parts of it that moved me, other parts didn't resonate and it was unfortunately a dnf for me.
This memoir tells the story of the author's journey grappling with the death of her parents and details of her family's life and history. I found her family's story inspiring and, yes, even magical, and the memories she shared of her time with her aging parents were beautifully told and brought me to tears. The way she framed this story following the Chinese zodiac I also thought was really interesting, and I enjoyed how she weaved past and present together, forming connections along the way.
The author's focus on her spiritual and philosophical journey didn't resonate with me, personally, however. In some cases, perhaps because the author would sometimes employ the use of second person, it felt a bit preachy even. Because of this, I felt that I couldn't stay engaged with the memoir and ended up giving up about halfway through. I could definitely see the memoir being perfect for someone who is interested in content exploring spiritual connections, visions induced by meditation, and more of a philosophical take.
This memoir tells the story of the author's journey grappling with the death of her parents and details of her family's life and history. I found her family's story inspiring and, yes, even magical, and the memories she shared of her time with her aging parents were beautifully told and brought me to tears. The way she framed this story following the Chinese zodiac I also thought was really interesting, and I enjoyed how she weaved past and present together, forming connections along the way.
The author's focus on her spiritual and philosophical journey didn't resonate with me, personally, however. In some cases, perhaps because the author would sometimes employ the use of second person, it felt a bit preachy even. Because of this, I felt that I couldn't stay engaged with the memoir and ended up giving up about halfway through. I could definitely see the memoir being perfect for someone who is interested in content exploring spiritual connections, visions induced by meditation, and more of a philosophical take.