Marcia, I also found Lily’s insecurities frustrating and often wanted more information during the moment.
I loved it! The writing was top notch. The three sections of the book tied together so well. Several large themes were thoroughly explored. One of the best moments for me while reading occurred at the end of the first section, when I realized that the book that I thought I was reading and enjoying was going to be so much more!
Overall I really liked it. I liked how it tied the 3 generations together, with all the complexities of multi generational love and conflicts
This novel of families intertwined has real depth. It’s an American saga rich with historical references and plenty of interesting plot twists. Generations of people have their lineage, ancestry and name sakes originating in a foreign country. Rachel Khong developed some of her characters with a homeland based in China. The references back and forth with the generations provided the foundation of the how and why Lily Chen and Matthew Maier came to be connected. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. What, in the beginning reads like a tangled mess soon opens up to the real story of a complicated American family.
I agree with Melissa, after a slow start for this reader, I became immersed in their lives. I highly recommend this book filled with interesting topics. Even though Khong wove together her story I really did not find myself invested until I reached May’s story. As Emily stated the topic was a bit overly scientific for me. I had difficulty often understanding the complex science terms
There are too many questions regarding Lily’s motivation to take the baby and disappear. Lily should have been more fleshed out. I don’t mind point of view sections for different characters; however, none of the sections filled some important plot holes.
In the beginning, I found Lily’s insecurity frustrating. Her continual insistence that she “was nothing special” and “wouldn’t ever be” was annoying. The visit to her mother’s laboratory seemed to cement the idea that she would never amount to anything significant. When her narrative abruptly ended and moved to Nick, some of her anxiety became more plausible as Nick pursued his parentage. Finally, May’s story filled the missing gaps and provided plausible reasons for everyone’s struggles. Loved the way Khong brought it all together. It was worth the wait.