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kappafrog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was very gripped by this book in the first half. The second half I started to lose interest somewhat, partially due to some bad triggers (I wish there was an option on StoryGraph for voyeurism/sexual surveillance, which is an important part of this novel and is hard to cover by the existing content warning list). I found some of Donita's actions a little hard to believe when it came to snooping around the Hongs' house. The ending was a little anticlimactic too when it came to the murder case - I wish we'd seen some more of how that all went in the end.
I first learned about Singapore's underclass of migrant workers at an ethnomusicology conference that discussed how important Sunday music-making was to those communities since it was a rare opportunity for freedom. This book really gave a strong sense of that, showing the multilayered community the women were part of in Singapore. A far cry from the undergraduate I once knew, fresh from Singapore, who confidently told me there are no poor people in Singapore!! I appreciated the investigation into queer angles in this book as well.
The book had so many heavy themes that I didn't find the second half enjoyable at all - I just wanted to see what happened. That's why my rating isn't as high as it could be. However, I recommend this book for its searing insights into an often-overlooked and mistreated population that has many rich stories to tell.
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Medical content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Blood, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
jordynkw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, Grief, and Murder
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Sexual content, Transphobia, Vomit, Islamophobia, Medical content, Abortion, and Deportation
heyitsneen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
clothildev's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Lesbophobia
miriamshira's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Murder
chailady's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, and Police brutality
thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Transphobia, Police brutality, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Medical content
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
But Kindle or not, what an INCREDIBLE insight. Based around 3 Filipina domestic workers’ lives in Singapore, which is infamous for the ‘crazy rich Asians’ scene, this ties in so many interesting themes. Classism and racism are rife and it was fascinating to see how this all arose in Angel, Cora and Donita’s lives.
I’ll put the content warnings for this one down below too 😳
One to DEFINITELY get into. Thank you to Balli Kaur Jaswal for this ✨
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Classism, and Deportation