March 10, 2015
This book caught my interest because it is a historical fiction novel about a topic that is, perhaps, a bit obscure: Asian-American entertainers of the 1940s. See researched it well, using real figures from San Francisco and New York during that time, and interviewing women who had been entertainers on the "Chop Suey Circuit." For all of that, though, I kind of hated this book. The characters are awful, and the plot is predictable, rushed, and stereotypical.
The story revolves around three young women: Grace, Helen, and Ruby. The chapters change first person perspectives between the three. But I honestly didn't get a real feel for any of them. They were completely lacking in depth AT BEST, and Helen was the most bat-shit out of the three. Boo to these characters. If the story had stuck to one perspective (Ruby or Helen preferably), and a shorter span of time, we might have had something here.
I felt like the characters' actions and motivations were contradictory at times, to the point where I was like, what the fuck is he/she doing/talking about? Helen's father is one small example. See, he named his seven sons after U.S. presidents (Monroe, Jefferson, you get the idea), yet when he had the opportunity to become a U.S. citizen, he didn't take it. Why? I swear, See was just writing shit without a thought about consistency or continuity. This was quite a frustrating book.
The plot was shallow and stereotypical. Helen's two revelations about her past came up years after the fact, and seemed like lame attempts to add depth to the story. Urg. What's sad is, I feel like Helen had some serious mental issues, like PTSD had made her crazy, and that would have made for a much better story. Oh, and the fact that Grace marries a man who once punched her in the face and broke her ribs? What the very fuck? Losing his leg in the war would not have calmed him down. That was some stupid shit right there.
Apparently, some readers who typically appreciate See's work dislike this particular book. Therefore, I may give her another chance sometime. But the more I think about it, the more I can't help feeling that this book was highly dissatisfying.
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