Bookishrealm's Reviews > Finally Seen

At this point, you CANNOT convince me to not read a Kelly Yang book. I absolutely adore any and everything that she puts out.

Finally Seen is Kelly Yang's latest release that follows Lina Gao who ends up moving to California to finally live with her parents after she remained in China during the pandemic. When she arrives and meets her family for the first time in a while, she realizes that nothing is the way she expected. She has a hard time not only adjusting to the reality of her family's living situation, but also attending a school where she struggles to speak English. What follows is a journey of self-discovery and finding one's voice even in the presence of fear.

What Worked: There were so many interesting pieces and parts to this story. I've read nearly every book that Kelly Yang has written so I was interested in how she would develop a story about a young girl who was separated from her family during the pandemic. It definitely wasn't what I expected and I was surprised at the emotional elements that Yang showcased through Gao. There was frustration, anger, and pain at her parents for their lack of contact and seemingly lack of interest in reuniting with their daughter. However, it was written in a way that illustrated such a immense level of emotional maturity in Lina. I also appreciated that Yang explored familial dynamics outside of the parents. Lina is particularly close with her grandmother, but finds that their relationship becomes strained when Lina forms a close relationship with a classmate that's a boy. Her grandmother has more traditional views and opinions about the appropriateness of a boy and girl being friends. It illustrated the cultural differences that between to grow between the two characters. This same difference is illustrated in the relationship between Lina and Millie. Millie is well versed in cultural practices of the US and Lina often feels lost when her sister talks about things like social media. Nevertheless, I loved that even through the discourse the two really attempt to support each other when they feel like outcasts or not good enough. I also LOVED the recognition and appreciation of graphic novels. Once again, readers are able to see how supportive and vital they are to literature. Lina uses them not only as a way to practice her English, but it also makes her feel seen and appreciated.

What Didn't Work: This book had a lot of fun elements, but at some points it felt like it had too much going on. There was a plot line dedicated to the relationship Lina had with her family, one dedicated to her experience at school and the bullying she faced, one that was dedicated to how the pandemic impacted communities especially those who rented properties, one dedicated to the importance of environmentalism, one dedicated to the poverty her parents faced, and one dedicated to book banning. While I enjoyed all of these things, I'm not a huge fan of books that go in a plethora of plot lines because it can be hard to keep everything in line.

Overall, this was another good read added to Yang's bibliography! I'm excited to see what she writes next after the release of the next Front Desk book this fall.