Frog

i thought this book was going to be more highbrow or hard to read, but it was surprisingly really nice to read! i got immersed in the story pretty quickly, and i thought the variety of characters and families was great and each was well done. it definitely lent me insight into the world of china during the one child policy, and how this influenced families. gugu’s fate hurt me even if she was not always a sympathetic character. like others have said, this book is not a clear argument for or against. it shows how that time, and that rule in particular, really impacted everyone, especially with the lead up to it (post famine baby boom). i also just came back from china so i enjoyed reading this setting and getting a fictionalized version of recent history.

i find this red and white cover much more striking and beautiful than many other editions.

category: read for cover
rating: 4.5 stars