Art and money and habits and history intertwine in this novel. Beautiful descriptions evoke childhood memories and family life. The conversations weave in and out so you feel like you're sitting with the family at the noodle bar, the bar, and other gatherings.
What happens when a stranger joins an established family? When she takes over someone in the family and keeps him away? And when that person disappears and dies, how does a family cope?
I was really looking forward to this. It's a compelling story that's hard to put down - and hard to keep track of at times. I was not thrilled that an obligatory gay couple is thrown in. It felt contrived as though satisfying an obligation to current social norms. (Can any famous or ambitious author write only about heterosexual couples and families? Seems like never.)
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