Joan Is Okay
- Downloads：4558
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-01 18:21:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Weike Wang
- ISBN：0525654836
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Julie Johnson
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This book has a unique writing style and it almost turned me off of the book - but the story kept me coming back。 Joan is quirky and interesting and you want her to be "okay" despite her overbearing co-worker， neighbor， and family。 A quick read and the ending leaves you thinking。Thanks to Random House for the ARC！ This book has a unique writing style and it almost turned me off of the book - but the story kept me coming back。 Joan is quirky and interesting and you want her to be "okay" despite her overbearing co-worker， neighbor， and family。 A quick read and the ending leaves you thinking。Thanks to Random House for the ARC！ 。。。more
Jessica
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A complicated novel with numerous interwoven themes， this was a compelling read even with the unique and odd writing style。 No actual dialog， written in the first person， with a flat affect mirroring the narrators， it took me a bit to get used to it。 But the immigrant story， the universality of family and fitting in and the choices we make， and Joan's commentary on all this and the world around her were so thoughtful， wry， and interesting， I ended up not being able to put it down。 Second book in A complicated novel with numerous interwoven themes， this was a compelling read even with the unique and odd writing style。 No actual dialog， written in the first person， with a flat affect mirroring the narrators， it took me a bit to get used to it。 But the immigrant story， the universality of family and fitting in and the choices we make， and Joan's commentary on all this and the world around her were so thoughtful， wry， and interesting， I ended up not being able to put it down。 Second book in a row that covers some of Covid。 Both were well done and though I had convinced myself I wasn't yet ready to read about the virus， apparently I was wrong。 。。。more
Paige T
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This is sparsely written， but I know that is part of the development of Joan， who embodies it。 The humor in this book is dry but sharp， again much like Joan herself。 And once again reading about the pandemic while still living in the throes of it can be jarring， but a bit of a reminder of how this began and the difficulties of being Asian， specifically Chinese， at that time。 Joan is a study in balancing the work on the front-lines in a city that was hard hit， while making her home。 Relationships This is sparsely written， but I know that is part of the development of Joan， who embodies it。 The humor in this book is dry but sharp， again much like Joan herself。 And once again reading about the pandemic while still living in the throes of it can be jarring， but a bit of a reminder of how this began and the difficulties of being Asian， specifically Chinese， at that time。 Joan is a study in balancing the work on the front-lines in a city that was hard hit， while making her home。 Relationships with family and culture are also integral to the story， and made this short novel carry more weight。*I was honored to receive an ARC of this book via NetGalley。 All opinions are my own。* 。。。more
Barbara Powell
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While Joan is quirky， unique and matter-of-fact， she is also kind of hard to relate to。 This reads like e memoirs but it is meant to be fiction and there’s not really any resolutions to the story。 That being said， it was an interesting look at a Chinese-American doctor just prior to and during the Covid 19 pandemic。 Joan is very straight laced and what she is lacking in social skills， she more than makes up for in books skills。 Her family is very formal and has a super strong work ethic and she While Joan is quirky， unique and matter-of-fact， she is also kind of hard to relate to。 This reads like e memoirs but it is meant to be fiction and there’s not really any resolutions to the story。 That being said， it was an interesting look at a Chinese-American doctor just prior to and during the Covid 19 pandemic。 Joan is very straight laced and what she is lacking in social skills， she more than makes up for in books skills。 Her family is very formal and has a super strong work ethic and she prefers working 24/7 than to have any time off to rest， so when the first cases of Covid appeared in China while she was on forced time off， and her mother is visiting the USA and can’t get back home， she goes to stay with her brother and his family and tries to relate to them， without much success。 Then she gets called back to work because the virus has spread to the USA and she is relieved to the back to work， but the stress of being Chinese （be a it was being called the Chinese virus） was hard on her。 While I was fascinated by the internal monologue of a doctor in the midst of the pandemic， a Joan was hard to relate to and not extremely likeable。 While I’m sure there will be an audience for this， I can’t say that I’m it。 It wasn’t bad， just kind of hard to get into。 Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review。 Publication date: January 18， 2022 。。。more
Bethany Ricci
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"Hurt can be paid forward and often is， to make your own feel less。" I adored this book and ate it up in one sitting。 Joan is a quirky， workaholic doctor， based in NYC。 She hates the word "different" but being a single， female， Asian American， in her mid-thirties， Joan has experienced the feeling that she belongs neither to America nor her Chinese heritage or the stereotype of a woman （motherhood， etc。）You could speed read this book and miss so much of the humor and serious topics the author act "Hurt can be paid forward and often is， to make your own feel less。" I adored this book and ate it up in one sitting。 Joan is a quirky， workaholic doctor， based in NYC。 She hates the word "different" but being a single， female， Asian American， in her mid-thirties， Joan has experienced the feeling that she belongs neither to America nor her Chinese heritage or the stereotype of a woman （motherhood， etc。）You could speed read this book and miss so much of the humor and serious topics the author actually takes head on。 This book had me reading and re-reading paragraphs。 It touches on racism， glorifying workaholics， sexism， familial responsibilities and expectations， awkward social encounters， life purpose and the human condition。 But mixed into all of it was humor that would catch me off guard。 I also loved the explanations of expressions in Chinese culture that applied to her life but that no one understands。 The book almost reads like a memoir as it depicts the day-to-day life of Joan and some background into her upbringing， her current family relationships， friendships and work dynamics。 She is incredibly intelligent and comfortable with where she's at until her father dies and which causes her to throw herself even more deeply into work until she is forced to take a break。 A little more than midway through the book news of COVID first surfaces in Wuhan， China and spreads。 She watches as Asian hate crimes are on the rise。。。。the ending of the book may fall short for some but I think it stayed true to Joan's character and I thouroughly enjoyed this read。 Thank you to Random House for ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dawn
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I found this book to be quite interesting。 As a retired healthcare professional， I appreciated the descriptions of hospital procedures and relationships with co-workers。 As someone who twice moved overseas as a child， I appreciated the struggles with cultural differences。 I think that books like this one are good ways to learn about people and not only our differences but also our commonalities。
Kristen Kristens。reading。nook
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If you were to tell me I was going to be reading a book absolutely with no chapter breaks and no actual dialogue， I would have told you I’d pass。 That’s why I’m so glad I didn’t know in advance - the beauty of reading ARC’s！This was an introspective look at a Chinese American’s family life and career as a doctor in a NY hospital in the months leading up to the pandemic。 While the pandemic was certainly a topic， it was not the main focus。 It did， however， bring up some of the first cases in vario If you were to tell me I was going to be reading a book absolutely with no chapter breaks and no actual dialogue， I would have told you I’d pass。 That’s why I’m so glad I didn’t know in advance - the beauty of reading ARC’s！This was an introspective look at a Chinese American’s family life and career as a doctor in a NY hospital in the months leading up to the pandemic。 While the pandemic was certainly a topic， it was not the main focus。 It did， however， bring up some of the first cases in various places around the country。 Even though it hasn’t been quite two years， I was surprised at a few of the details I had forgotten。 I flew through this book when I was able to read。 I read it over Christmas which was full of family and activity so I didn’t have much time。 I typically bounce around between multiple books， but I continued to pick this one up each time I could。 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Maureen
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Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC。 It isn't actually something I would necessarily pick out， especially because I tanked on some of my review books this year， and even worse on my reading goal。 But in my quest to read happy things for most of this year， I fell for a YA romance called Tokyo Ever After， and then followed it up with A Pho Love Story， so I went for it。 Clearly this is not a YA romance， more along the lines of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine， but not as far extreme。 I am prattling Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC。 It isn't actually something I would necessarily pick out， especially because I tanked on some of my review books this year， and even worse on my reading goal。 But in my quest to read happy things for most of this year， I fell for a YA romance called Tokyo Ever After， and then followed it up with A Pho Love Story， so I went for it。 Clearly this is not a YA romance， more along the lines of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine， but not as far extreme。 I am prattling a bit， but this really was a pleasant book about a young Chinese-American doctor who in her own way is as driven to succeed as her brother， but cares in no way about the trappings of success， and is limited in her ability to connect with other people， including her family。 Being a physician is her life。 It is not an exciting read per se， but the fact that it covers the beginning of the pandemic delivers an excellent grounding in reality。 I think if this was a movie， it might be called a sleeper。 Worth your time。 。。。more
Judy
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Thanks to Netgalley/Random House: An exquisite book of understated nuance。 Joan is the child of Chinese immigrants who returned to China after she and her brother achieved success。 She is an ICU physician， who is stuck in a state of emotional numbness and love for the structure of her work--semi-estranged from her brother， Fang， and her parents。 When her father dies in China and she takes 48 hours off， her journey of slow but steady self discovery begins。 Ultimately， she is forced to take 6 week Thanks to Netgalley/Random House: An exquisite book of understated nuance。 Joan is the child of Chinese immigrants who returned to China after she and her brother achieved success。 She is an ICU physician， who is stuck in a state of emotional numbness and love for the structure of her work--semi-estranged from her brother， Fang， and her parents。 When her father dies in China and she takes 48 hours off， her journey of slow but steady self discovery begins。 Ultimately， she is forced to take 6 weeks off and reconnects with her mother， her brother， her love for medicine and truly grieves her father。 The pandemic enters the story and as both a dedicated ICU physician and the child of Chinese parents， she is uniquely positioned to astutely observe and experience it。 The writing is spare and beautiful and Joan's voice is unique。 As a physician， I appreciated her keen observations of medicine and the health care system。 A slim but powerful book。 。。。more
lou
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thank u netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book ！！ "Joan is Okay" follows a really detached main character in NYC， we could add it to the genre of a woman moving through her life but I dont think it should be closed off in that box because it's a little bit different。 Even if the author made the writing seem distant， it doesnt mean that you automatically not care about Joan， you definitely do。After finding out her dad passed away， we follow her getting through it by working in a ho thank u netgalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book ！！ "Joan is Okay" follows a really detached main character in NYC， we could add it to the genre of a woman moving through her life but I dont think it should be closed off in that box because it's a little bit different。 Even if the author made the writing seem distant， it doesnt mean that you automatically not care about Joan， you definitely do。After finding out her dad passed away， we follow her getting through it by working in a hospital， picking up every shift she can and lowkey evading her family， how people in her life just dont seem to fully get her。 Being a daughter of immigrants parents， we see a lot of discussion about this in the book which was interesting to read for me， there has been countless of times where i thought about moving to the US for different reason but mainly because of how accessible it seems to me， at least more than the country i am in rn， and all of these different topics like， education， language， what does it mean being an American？ were really compelling， and even if each family has an unique experience， i liked reading about it。Something that the author did which i loved， was explaining to us different words in chinese， it was something really simple but that i truly appreciated and enjoyed。Also， did not expect the second half to talk about， that thing that we all know about， but i really liked the direction it went and ended。 Overall， i enjoyed this a lot and would love to read more about this author in the future ！！ 。。。more
agata
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3。5 stars， rounded up。Joan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who decided to go back to China， and an ICU doctor， working in a New York City hospital。 When we meet her， Joan is heading to China after her father's sudden death。 She is a textbook workaholic and defines herself by her work， so when upon her return she is put on mandatory time off， Joan must figure out what to do with her time and how to find herself outside of her job。Joan is Okay is a slow-paced novel， focused mostly on charact 3。5 stars， rounded up。Joan is the daughter of Chinese immigrants who decided to go back to China， and an ICU doctor， working in a New York City hospital。 When we meet her， Joan is heading to China after her father's sudden death。 She is a textbook workaholic and defines herself by her work， so when upon her return she is put on mandatory time off， Joan must figure out what to do with her time and how to find herself outside of her job。Joan is Okay is a slow-paced novel， focused mostly on character study。 While the plot itself took a backseat to the characters， I found it very moving how Joan described working in a hospital during Covid-19。 Reading about the pandemic in fiction stories is very hit or miss for me， but here it worked perfectly。 I also enjoyed Joan's voice， her perspective and thoughts about dealing with grief and family dynamics resonated with me。 Unfortunately， despite the novel being very short， the lack of action began to make me lose interest halfway through the book， and it only got it back when Covid was introduced。 I wish we'd gotten more of that， I think it would be very interesting to see the pandemic through Joan's eyes。Overall， Joan is Okay is a good， but very slow and calm read， perfect for everyone who likes unique， character-driven stories。 。。。more
Teresa
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Joan is a workaholic， a doctor who prides herself on not taking time off， a doctor without a lot going on outside of work， living in New York city。 At the beginning of the story she's so focused on only work that she doesn't get a Seinfeld reference， unaware of the ubiquitous sitcom until a friendly neighbor fills her in。 A family situation forces Joan to take an extended leave from the hospital and spend time with her brother and his family， and their mother。 Joan is Chinese American。 Her paren Joan is a workaholic， a doctor who prides herself on not taking time off， a doctor without a lot going on outside of work， living in New York city。 At the beginning of the story she's so focused on only work that she doesn't get a Seinfeld reference， unaware of the ubiquitous sitcom until a friendly neighbor fills her in。 A family situation forces Joan to take an extended leave from the hospital and spend time with her brother and his family， and their mother。 Joan is Chinese American。 Her parents immigrated before she was born。 There's a lot of rumination on "other"， how Joan perceives herself being seen， how she perceived her father， perceives her mother and brother。 This break from work allows her the time to process these feelings， and also demonstrates a need for us readers to look at things a little differently， for example: "Broken pronunciation implied a broken mind， unless the accent was British or French， which then meant the person was posh。" This book is heartfelt， witty， with deep musings。 There is humor， affection。 There is reach。 Joan could be the stranger we pass on the sidewalk。 Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jasmine
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Joan is Okay is a short novel where not a lot happens， but a lot is brewing beneath the surface。 Joan is in her mid-thirties and an ICU attending doctor at a New York City hospital。 Work is her happy place。 She enjoys being a cog in the machine。 Her parents are from China， while she was born in America。 When Joan turned eighteen and was about to start university， her parents moved back to China， allowing their daughter to begin the next stage of her life independently。 Now， years later， Joan’s f Joan is Okay is a short novel where not a lot happens， but a lot is brewing beneath the surface。 Joan is in her mid-thirties and an ICU attending doctor at a New York City hospital。 Work is her happy place。 She enjoys being a cog in the machine。 Her parents are from China， while she was born in America。 When Joan turned eighteen and was about to start university， her parents moved back to China， allowing their daughter to begin the next stage of her life independently。 Now， years later， Joan’s father has just passed away， and her mother returns to the States to reconnect with her children。 Usually， Joan uses work as an excuse to dodge family or friend gatherings。 However， now that she has some time off work， she can no longer find a plausible reason to avoid them。 She watches as news of COVID first surfaces in Wuhan， China and as it quickly spreads across the globe。As an Asian American， Joan has experienced the feeling that she belongs neither to America nor her Chinese heritage。While this book deals with serious topics， it is also balanced with deadpan humour。 It touches on racism， microaggressions， sexism， belonging， familial responsibilities， and more。 The majority deals with Joan’s life and the last quarter discusses the emergence of COVID。 I believe Joan is a character that will stay with me for some time to come。 She is a quiet woman， but one firm in her beliefs。 Thank you to Random House for the arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ady
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The writing in this book is so unique！ I liked the sharply perceptive， sparse writing style a lot。 Joan， as a character， is quirky but easy to relate to。 This is a “slice-of-life” style novel without a strong plot， but it is a very enjoyable read。
Gail
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I thoroughly enjoyed Joan is OK。 Joan is an Asian-American who was born in the U。S。， while her parents and brother were immigrants born in China。 She is a doctor in NYC hospital prior to and at the start of the pandemic。 Many themes are packed into this short book with huge success。 The author deals with immigrants assimilating， grief， the racial issues arising from the pandemic causing Asians fearing for their safety。 On a personal level， Joan finds hospital administrators， family， and neighbor I thoroughly enjoyed Joan is OK。 Joan is an Asian-American who was born in the U。S。， while her parents and brother were immigrants born in China。 She is a doctor in NYC hospital prior to and at the start of the pandemic。 Many themes are packed into this short book with huge success。 The author deals with immigrants assimilating， grief， the racial issues arising from the pandemic causing Asians fearing for their safety。 On a personal level， Joan finds hospital administrators， family， and neighbors trying to change her。 She’s a bit of a quirky character who is most comfortable at work。 The hospital feels like home to her。 As the title states， Joan is OK。， no big change needed！ 。。。more
Alyson Stone
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Book: Joan Is OkayAuthor: Weike WangRating: 4 Out of 5 StarsI would like to thank the publisher， Random House， for sending me an ARC。 I must say that I went into this one knowing nothing about it。 I had never heard of this book nor this author until the publisher reached out。 I must say that I did end up being rather surprised with how much I actually ended up enjoying this one。 At first， I thought it was a memoir and ended up being really surprised to learn that it was， in fact， fiction。 This i Book: Joan Is OkayAuthor: Weike WangRating: 4 Out of 5 StarsI would like to thank the publisher， Random House， for sending me an ARC。 I must say that I went into this one knowing nothing about it。 I had never heard of this book nor this author until the publisher reached out。 I must say that I did end up being rather surprised with how much I actually ended up enjoying this one。 At first， I thought it was a memoir and ended up being really surprised to learn that it was， in fact， fiction。 This is just shows you the amount of depth and thought that was put into this book。 We follow Joan， who is the daughter of immigrants and the attending physician at a hospital in New York。 Work is her life and she doesn’t really know what she would do without it。 She has her family， but she really hasn’t lived up to what they want her to be-even though she is very successful。 We see the struggle of dealing with this， while she manages to hold on and be herself。 She isn’t interested in material things， which also seems to drive her family crazy。 I like that even though she doesn’t have her family’s support that she still manages to be herself。 Joan goes to show us that strength can come in a number of forms。 As we read， we see that not only is she smart， but witty and observant。 Her thoughts come right off the page， which makes it seem like she is a real person and you are sitting down with her to have a chat。 This is how I like my characters。 I want them to seem real。 I want to experience whatever they are going through them。 The writing is flawless。 Like I said earlier in my review， this reads like a memoir。 It has that pull and sense of realism that makes it very difficult to remember that this is fiction。 We have the whole family’s story presented to us。 We see the ups and downs of trying to fit into American society， the racism， and the longing to return to a homeland。 We see how Chinese people were blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic， the toll the pandemic has taken on front line workers， and the effect that lockdowns have had on people。 We see the social issues that have been brought up because of the pandemic。 We also relive the fear and uncertainly of those early days of the pandemic。 It will bring you right back to March 2020。 Everything is told in a way that makes it feel like it is all real and that these characters are out and walking among us。 To me， this is truly a gift。 If you are able to blend fiction into the real world and make it seem real， then you are a very gifted and talented writer。 Now， with all of that being said， you may be wondering why I only gave this one a four star rating？ I’m just going be honest。 It’s all of the COVID-19 things that were included in the book。 I think it’s really too early to be including it into fiction。 I know， I know， it makes the story seem all that much more real， but I don’t know。 I guess I’m just not ready to really be reading about it yet in a book。 I do wish that the publisher would put a something in the synopsis about this taking place during the pandemic。 We want to talk about trigger warnings in books。 I think that the pandemic is a trigger warning for so many people， especially ones who may have lost loved ones along the way。 I just want people to be aware of it before they go into this book。 If you are looking for a hard hitting and real feeling fiction novel， then I highly encourage you to pick it up。 If you are looking for a short read， this may be the book for you。 Again， if the COVID-19 pandemic is a trigger for you， I am going to encourage you to skip this one。 This book comes out on January 18， 2022。Youtube: https://youtu。be/rjUj6TRVwOc 。。。more
Kindle Worm
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Joan is an Asian American doctor。 Born in the US， she worked hard for everything she has attained。 Her job as an attendee in a New York hospital is her life。 She would rather work than anything else。 Socially awkward， it’s the only place she really fits in。 Her brother has also worked hard and now is reaping the benefits。 A wealthy family man， he wants the same for Joan， but she’s perfectly fine with her life just the way it is。 When forced to take bereavement time after the death of her father， Joan is an Asian American doctor。 Born in the US， she worked hard for everything she has attained。 Her job as an attendee in a New York hospital is her life。 She would rather work than anything else。 Socially awkward， it’s the only place she really fits in。 Her brother has also worked hard and now is reaping the benefits。 A wealthy family man， he wants the same for Joan， but she’s perfectly fine with her life just the way it is。 When forced to take bereavement time after the death of her father， Joan is totally at loose ends。 Even though she’s reconnecting with her family， she’s counting down the days when she can return to her beloved work。 Touching on the early days of the pandemic and the way Asian Americans were treated， as well as patients in the ICU， we catch a glimpse into not only the pandemic， but Asian American culture。 In the end Joan found out that home could be many things。 This was a rather short book， but came across quite slow making the story drag。 Written without quotations， leaves the reader double checking to see if the words were actually spoken or just thought。 Just as Joan is Okay， this book was just okay for me。 Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Susie | Novel Visits
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3。5 stars - review to follow in January。
Cindy H。
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Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Joan is Okay in exchange for an honest review。 Having read Chemistry by Weike Wang， I was excited to read an early copy of her newest book; Joan is Okay。 This book reminded me of Chemistry in both style and content。 Joan is a thirty something Asian doctor living in NYC in a self imposed lonely existence。 When a new neighbor moves into her building， and her mom comes from China for a visit， Joan’s normal routine is t Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Joan is Okay in exchange for an honest review。 Having read Chemistry by Weike Wang， I was excited to read an early copy of her newest book; Joan is Okay。 This book reminded me of Chemistry in both style and content。 Joan is a thirty something Asian doctor living in NYC in a self imposed lonely existence。 When a new neighbor moves into her building， and her mom comes from China for a visit， Joan’s normal routine is thrown off kilter。 With sparse language and meandering musings， we learn more about Joan’s upbringing and her current situation。 This book was light but insightful。 Unfortunately， it left me underwhelmed but I did appreciate the inclusion of the early days of Covid， not as a gimmick but as a source of authenticity。 。。。more
Devin Mainville
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Perhaps the best “pandemic” book I’ve read yet， Joan lets us see the pandemic through the eyes of a dedicated doctor and Chinese American living in New York City - pretty much the worst view you could have at the time。 Joan is a unique， interesting character - at the start of the story her father passes away and Joan’s reaction makes it clear she’s not an emotional person。 That coupled with inability to relate to other people and her penchant for taking everything literally probably places her s Perhaps the best “pandemic” book I’ve read yet， Joan lets us see the pandemic through the eyes of a dedicated doctor and Chinese American living in New York City - pretty much the worst view you could have at the time。 Joan is a unique， interesting character - at the start of the story her father passes away and Joan’s reaction makes it clear she’s not an emotional person。 That coupled with inability to relate to other people and her penchant for taking everything literally probably places her somewhere on the autism spectrum， but the book doesn’t delve into it。 Instead it explores her grieving process and never makes the narrative about her needing to change or adapt to the world around her in order to thrive。 It’s a refreshing take made all the more interesting by Wang’s unique writing style。 It took me a while to get into it， but by the end I was fully immersed。Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for the #ARC。 。。。more
Gregandemy
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First， thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 I was unfamiliar with this title or author before coming across it here。 I found it to be a fun title to read。 I liked the writing style that really made you feel like you were in the characters brain and seeing the world through her eyes。 An interesting perspective on Chinese immigrants in America， on those that feel different， and on the covid pandemic。 First， thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 I was unfamiliar with this title or author before coming across it here。 I found it to be a fun title to read。 I liked the writing style that really made you feel like you were in the characters brain and seeing the world through her eyes。 An interesting perspective on Chinese immigrants in America， on those that feel different， and on the covid pandemic。 Enjoyable and different。 。。。more
Bkwmlee
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We’re often told that it’s hard to write about a book you love and for me， this was absolutely true with this particular book， as there was so much I loved about this one that I’m actually at a loss as to where I should start in my praise of it。 To me， this was one of those rare books where every single aspect of it came together so perfectly – from the thought-provoking story to the wonderfully rendered characters to the sparse yet beautiful writing， to the carefully chosen prose that flowed so We’re often told that it’s hard to write about a book you love and for me， this was absolutely true with this particular book， as there was so much I loved about this one that I’m actually at a loss as to where I should start in my praise of it。 To me， this was one of those rare books where every single aspect of it came together so perfectly – from the thought-provoking story to the wonderfully rendered characters to the sparse yet beautiful writing， to the carefully chosen prose that flowed so smoothly from page to page – to the point that I wanted this book to go on forever。 When I was only a few pages into the story， I already knew that the main protagonist Joan （whose last name is never revealed to us） would be one of those characters who’ll make an indelible mark on my heart – and by the end of the story， she did exactly that and then some！ For me， Joan was more than just a favorite character; she was a kindred spirit whose smart， observant， witty voice expressed thoughts and feelings that I resonated deeply with。 Though certain aspects of Joan’s background were similar to mine （Chinese daughter of immigrant parents who came to the U。S。 in pursuit of the American dream; has a disillusioned older brother whose values are opposite of her own; grew up in a household where she had to straddle two completely different and opposing cultures， etc。）， where we actually had the most in common was in our reclusive personalities， which is significant to me because my personality plays a huge role in my life experiences。 This is partly why I related so well to Joan as a character， since so many of her experiences and struggles are ones I’m familiar with myself。 When Joan talks about immersing herself as deeply into the studious part of her schooling （she “went from library to classroom and only returned to the dorm to sleep”） as she could to avoid having to socialize or interact with others， or when her boss praises her work ethic， she cringes and tries to change the subject because she hates drawing attention to herself and is uncomfortable receiving praise， or when she has problems communicating with others， whether friends or family， and therefore gets herself into awkward situations – all of these are deja vu experiences that I’ve struggled with my entire life。 Most of all， Joan’s “relationship” with her work hit the hardest for me， as I struggle with the exact same experience of being defined primarily by my work， often to the detriment of other “relationships” as well as to my own well-being （I both laughed and cried at Joan’s “reaction” to being forced to take time off from work – I laughed because it was truly hilarious how that situation unfolded， but then thinking about the implications in my own situation was a bit upsetting）。 Reading this book was actually a roller coaster ride for me emotionally – at some parts， I would laugh so hard that I nearly fell out of my chair， but then on the next page， something would happen that would be a gut punch to me and I’d feel like crying。One of the things that this book did exceptionally well was breakdown the aspects of Chinese versus American culture in a way that was succinct and accurate （and funny without deliberately trying to be funny）， yet still respectful to both cultures。 My favorite scenes were the ones where Joan would have conversations with her mother， whether by phone or face-to-face， and a few words in， the various clashes of culture （east versus west）， generation （older vs younger）， values （work vs family）， etc。 would come out in full force – clashes that I was more than familiar with having experienced most of them myself continuously my entire life。 Most of the conversations were short， but yet， there was so much context there， and covering so much ground。 Being an immigrant myself， I’m of course drawn to immigrant stories and having read my fair share of them， I have to say that this book， more than any of the others I’ve read， comes the closest to relaying what my personal journey as a Chinese woman growing up in an immigrant family in America truly feels like。As I said from the beginning， there was so much I loved about this book that there’s no way I would be able to do justice to it with a simple review。 In addition to the “immigrant story” aspect （though those of us who read a lot of immigrant stories will quickly find out that this one is technically not the “typical” immigrant story that we are used to reading）， this is also a timely story that， in its short 200+ pages， manages to also explore what it is like being a Chinese American female doctor working at a major hospital in New York at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic （having followed the news and the course of events in society over the past 18 months， the significance of this portrayal is not lost on me）。 This is a book that I highly， highly recommend and yes， I am definitely going to go back and read this author’s debut novel， Chemistry。As a concluding thought， I wanted to share an excerpt of one of my favorite passages from the book （this is one of many – looking back， I probably highlighted close to 80% of the book！）。 The lead up to this is that Joan is reflecting on an incident earlier on when she let her neighbor Mark talk her into having a party at her New York apartment – a situation that actually she abhors， since she hates parties:My epiphany。 Mark was just like Reese [her colleague at the hospital] —well-meaning in some ways， clueless in others。 Neither could imagine having wasted another person’s time or consuming every square inch of air in a room。 Because Room People were full of themselves。 They believed their own perspectives reigned supreme。 And whereas I was taught to not stick out or aggravate your surroundings， to not cause any trouble and to be a good guest， someone like Mark was brought up with different rules—yes， push back， provoke， assert yourself， some trouble is good， since the rest of us will always go easy on you and， if anything， reward you for just being you。。。。I chose to not text him back or do what I wanted to do， which was call and lay into him until he could finally see where I was coming from。 Expending more energy on him wasn’t the answer。 Why try to explain yourself to someone who had no capacity to listen？This was one of many profound passages from the book that I loved because， through Joan’s voice， Wang put into words my sentiments exactly when it comes to interacting with people around me。 It wasn’t until I read this passage that I realized I’ve been surrounded by “Room People” most of my life and， like Joan， I’ve struggled through numerous “why did I let them talk me into this” situations – but it doesn’t have to be this way。 Why continue to expend energy on people or situations that do nothing but bring awkwardness/misery/regret？ Instead， I now understand that others may have been brought up with different rules and I don’t have to compromise mine in order to conform to theirs。 Received ARC from Random House via NetGalley。 。。。more
Christine
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Joan is a bit different， but she is okay。 This book was a great look into the kind of a hardworking doctor from a strict Chinese family struggling during COVID。 It’s hard to put it into a category but I enjoyed following the story of Joan， her family， and her neighbors。
Kasa Cotugno
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Joan is actually more than OK。 Or so it seems at the beginning。 Self contained and borderline on the spectrum， she reveals later in the book that she didn't feel an identity until she put on her coat identifying her as a doctor， and she seeks out the most challenging position， one in which she feels she can do the most good。 Her unfiltered honesty baffles and exasperates those who know her， but she's OK with that -- just let her do her job。 Please。 Towards the end of the book the current pandemi Joan is actually more than OK。 Or so it seems at the beginning。 Self contained and borderline on the spectrum， she reveals later in the book that she didn't feel an identity until she put on her coat identifying her as a doctor， and she seeks out the most challenging position， one in which she feels she can do the most good。 Her unfiltered honesty baffles and exasperates those who know her， but she's OK with that -- just let her do her job。 Please。 Towards the end of the book the current pandemic oils its way in， and with the current surges and variants， adds a poignant flavor。 I have a feeling Wang has more to add to this story and am hopeful for a follow-up。 。。。more
Michelle
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I very much enjoyed this。 Loved Joan。 Full rtc
Neko~chan
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I didn’t expect to like this book so much！ Working on an actual review for another publication that will be much more fleshed out， but yeah， I was pleasantly surprised。 Weike Wang writes in a very spare manner， but it’s very effective。 Novels are mediated by language by necessity， but she makes the barrier transparent。 I was touched by Joan’s character growth， her and Fang’s opposing natures， their strive for control。 Wang manages to fit so much in so few pages — there’s Joan’s personal relation I didn’t expect to like this book so much！ Working on an actual review for another publication that will be much more fleshed out， but yeah， I was pleasantly surprised。 Weike Wang writes in a very spare manner， but it’s very effective。 Novels are mediated by language by necessity， but she makes the barrier transparent。 I was touched by Joan’s character growth， her and Fang’s opposing natures， their strive for control。 Wang manages to fit so much in so few pages — there’s Joan’s personal relationship to her work， there’s the relationship to her parents and family， and there’s the white collar Asian-American immigrant experience and the profound loss that comes with。 A lot of complexity that is elucidated somehow in the way Joan engages with her environment and some well-chosen metaphors。 Well-crafted to be sure， and I can see Weike Wang’s attention to detail。 。。。more
Shana
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***Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***The main character's unique voice really makes this novel。 Joan， an ICU doctor， has family members， coworkers， and neighbors who have rigid ideas of how she should be， even though she is content as she is。 The quirkiness of Joan made this an enjoyable read， as well as the fact that it managed to address some more serious issues without becoming preachy or overly dramatic。 ***Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***The main character's unique voice really makes this novel。 Joan， an ICU doctor， has family members， coworkers， and neighbors who have rigid ideas of how she should be， even though she is content as she is。 The quirkiness of Joan made this an enjoyable read， as well as the fact that it managed to address some more serious issues without becoming preachy or overly dramatic。 。。。more
Ruth
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With kind of a wimpy title， this book delivers a narrative that reads like a memoir。 The protagonist， Joan， is Asian-American with parents in China。 She is an exalted member of a big NYC hospital's staff and a compulsive workaholic。 Her home is the hospital and running an ICU with minimal assistance， and she is excellent at work。She has no friends besides her colleagues at work， and likes it that way。 After her father dies suddenly， she flies to China and back to NYC for the funeral in the space With kind of a wimpy title， this book delivers a narrative that reads like a memoir。 The protagonist， Joan， is Asian-American with parents in China。 She is an exalted member of a big NYC hospital's staff and a compulsive workaholic。 Her home is the hospital and running an ICU with minimal assistance， and she is excellent at work。She has no friends besides her colleagues at work， and likes it that way。 After her father dies suddenly， she flies to China and back to NYC for the funeral in the space of 2 days。 Her brother， not tended well in childhood， lives in Connecticut and has a lavish lifestyle with his Chinese-immigrant wife and their 3 boys。 Joan and her brother's mom comes to stay indefinitely at the brother's estate after the death of her husband。Amidst this， Joan is ordered to take a leave from her work at the hospital， and begins visiting her mother often in Connecticut。 Then Covid-19 hits China， and soon her mother has no chance of returning home， and Joan goes back to work。The character development is intriguing and Joan and her family present as stoic and unemotional。 But the emotions that aren't expressed are palpable under the surface， the author does an excellent job of allowing us to read between the lines。The cultural differences and similarities are well-played out rather than intellectually described。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Melissa
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This book felt like reading someone’s journal， and not in a good way。 It was apparent that our narrator was on the spectrum， incredibly brilliant， and very sheltered。 I really thought this would be interesting， but somehow the author made this mundane and almost joked about it。 The novel had no purpose， and no idea what it was really about。 The subject matters switched and flopped， with zero resolution。 The last quarter was about the pandemic。 How many times do I have to tell you authors … we do This book felt like reading someone’s journal， and not in a good way。 It was apparent that our narrator was on the spectrum， incredibly brilliant， and very sheltered。 I really thought this would be interesting， but somehow the author made this mundane and almost joked about it。 The novel had no purpose， and no idea what it was really about。 The subject matters switched and flopped， with zero resolution。 The last quarter was about the pandemic。 How many times do I have to tell you authors … we do NOT want to READ about the PANDEMIC。 It’s been traumatic enough。 We don’t need books about it！ So STOP！ Books are meant to escape！ Bad。 Just bad。 Good writing， but this book had zero purpose。 。。。more
Kathy
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