I don't always understand short stories, and I definitely not a big fan of sci-fi. Thus, it's no surprise that after reading the first story I didn't I don't always understand short stories, and I definitely not a big fan of sci-fi. Thus, it's no surprise that after reading the first story I didn't think I would make it through the collection. A week later, I am wishing there were more.
The namesake story, The Paper Menagerie, is fantastic. A heart wrenching story of a mixed race child and his complicated relationship to his Chinese mother and his own identity growing up in America. It is a phenomenally beautiful and powerful read, that, in part, I couldn't help hearing my own mother's voice in many ways - despite so many obviously differences.
Other tales vacillated between intriguing and too sci-fi-y for me. But overall enjoyable and obvious that Liu has an incredible grasp of the fields about which he writes from Chinese history to law and technology....more
I really enjoyed racing through this story - and so starts my first review in a handful of years.
By the time I neared the final pages, I realized thatI really enjoyed racing through this story - and so starts my first review in a handful of years.
By the time I neared the final pages, I realized that I could no longer even remember how the book started. The narrative bounces back and forth in time, moving between narrators and perspectives. I'm sure there are literary terms for this that I do not know, or am not going to dissect right now. Regardless, I say this to note that at no point does it feel disjointed or did I feel lost as a reader. Rather, the varied perspectives propelled the story forward, as Deming's tale unfolds, piece by piece, against different backdrops and told by different characters.
The story of a Chinese-American boy growing up in New York, inexplicably separated from his mother at a young age. Deming's desire to both know, and not, rip through each chapter. A young man trying to find his place in the world, both by understanding where he came from, and also trying to figure out where he's going. I suppose this is what some call a coming of age tale? Perhaps a coming of age tale for first generation immigrants?
I greatly enjoyed the story and Deming's search for his mother, as well as his search for himself...more