Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung Review

This is a spoiler-free review!

Cursed Bunny was on my TBR shelf for nearly a year-and-a-half, and I had been looking forward to finally diving into these short stories. Considering many described these stories as grotesque and horror-filled, I was excited to see what Chung had in store for readers. However, I felt unsatisfied with the cohesiveness of the collection, as well as mislead in the sense that only a few of the stories truly held onto the horror genre as advertised. The science fiction and magical realism were certainly present, but did not hold my attention as much as the other stories, and I found myself bored by the end of the collection. Only a few stories stood out to me, while the rest had no impact on my subconscious after finishing this book - once again, the magical realism and fairytale stories did little for me.

While I do have my issues with the collection as a whole, Cursed Bunny does an excellent job at gaining the reader's attention from the very first page. Constructively, I would have put the stores in a different order, as the current order tends to fall off by the end. Chung is a champion at truly harnessing the horror she wishes to convey, and I did genuinely feel a sense of unease during those particular short stories. The Head takes first place as most memorable and has sat with me since reading this book. It felt surreal yet entirely plausible in the sense that women are often haunted by what comes from them and how their bodies speak to them in ways that may not be understood by society. Chung's ability to really get into body horror and the grotesque realism of life is appreciated, and is clearly elevated off the page and into the reader's mind.

In no way am I stating that Chung's works are overrated, but rather this anthology of short stories felt lackluster when looking back at them as a whole, singular piece of art. She is able to touch upon a number of important topics throughout these stories, but their connection to each other felt weak, and I had to push myself to find interest in order to see this through to the end. I found that a majority of these stories did not leave a large impact on me as a reader, and I would have loved to see a cohesiveness to her stories that would have allowed readers to come to a major realization at the end that tied everything together. Instead, the stories ended, and so did my interest in her tales.

Overall, the prose in a number of these stories truly wraps the reader up in the tale, while others felt more like filler chapters that became easily forgettable as you move on to the next story. I would certainly have enjoyed a more structured set of stories that did not genre-jump as much - while horror, science fiction, and magical realism can be interesting avenues to connect, Chung's stories did not flow into each other to warrant a breakthrough. I am definitely open to exploring more of her work in the future, but perhaps rather when it is a single title rather than a collection of short stories.

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Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li Review

This review does not contain spoilers for Number One Chinese Restaurant.

As someone who worked in a Chinese restaurant for seven years as a summer job, I was very excited to read this book, not only to see if my experience was reflected in this work, but also to see what inner workings were going on in this family-run restaurant.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the book, and once I was able to devote time to sitting down and reading it at length rather than in small increments, I was immersed into the story. We are immediately placed into the restaurant and already you can feel the tension in the room, especially between the waitstaff and some of the family members that have been there for decades. 

The author slowly introduces us to some of the main family members, but as readers it is our responsibility to understand who the employees are and what they do at the restaurant. This was certainly made it easier with having the family tree inside the cover of the book to look back to when I was not sure who characters were referring to or if we were being introduced to someone new.

Jimmy and Pang are our two "black sheep" family members/acquaintances that prove to be trouble early on in the book. Their arrangement with the restaurant and involvement in not-so-legal activity quickly becomes more than just their problem -- it becomes a problem for the family and the employees of Beijing Duck House. As we progress throughout the book, we learn more about both of their pasts and what they have done that has led them into the situations they are in today. The more we uncover about the characters, the more "in the family" the reader feels, as they are slowly learning some family secrets.

Nan and her son, Pat, have a complicated relationship built on mild abandonment and resentment not for one another, but for the restaurant. We are exposed to a lot of their arguments and constant instigating each other as tensions rise after tragedy strikes Beijing Duck House. Nan does not approve of the choices that Pat makes, but she is shown to always be trying to do her best and make the situation better.

The dynamic between Nan, Michelle, and Jack is somewhat surprising yet comforting in a way. We are able to seem the relationships between Nan and Michelle, Nan and Jack, and Jack and Michelle evolve and learn more about them as the story progresses. While the author places more focus on Nan and Jack's relationship, she is able to incorporate all of their involvement in an organic way that does not feel overwhelming.

Towards the end of the book, it starts moving at a quicker pace and we see the fallout of the Beijing Duck House tragedy and the development and consequences of Li's characters and their actions. We see the repercussions of the characters' choices and actions, and a small time jump is able to bring closure to many of their struggles. Number One Chinese Restaurant ties in the complications of working with family and challenging loyalties.

You can add Number One Chinese Restaurant on Goodreads now, and follow the author to stay up to date on publications and releases.

You can catch up with me and my current reads by friending me on Goodreads and following this blog, my Twitter, and my Instagram in order to stay up-to-date with any reviews, blog tours, and more!