Pink Fiction Club

 Ever since I have read  Elif Shafak '10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in This Strange World', I have wanted to buy and read another one of her novels, but for one reason or another, only recently got around to it. Upon seeing 'Three Daughters of Eve' in my local Watersones, and reading some quite positive reviews, I decided that this would be the next novel by her. Unfortunately, while this element does have a lot of the same elements I enjoyed in '10 Minutes, 38 Seconds in This Strange World' I must say that it is less successful in many ways. The story felt more like a draft that somebody rushed to publish than an actual fully fleshed out narrative. My reading experience was actually frustrating because I kept waiting for Shafak to spread out her luxurious talent, but that just never truly happened. While I will keep reading Shafak's work because I do think she is one of the most important contemporary voices, I thought this novel could have been so much more than ...

 TW: Addiction Animal violence Bullying Cancer Death (grandparent) Drug use Homophobia (including slurs) Parental abuse Racism Sexual assault Trauma War (past) Ocean Vuong's 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' has been on my TBR for a while, but given the heartfelt reviews I have read online, I knew this was one of those books that will require a focused and clear state of mind to be able to truly enjoy. I am not sure if the time was the best one, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. Vuong is a wonderful storyteller with an important story to tell, full of loss and heartbreak, but also full of love, longing and life.  'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' made me feel, moved something in me and made me reconsider certain beliefs I had. What more can you ask of a book? Told by now an adult narrator, this book tells the story of a Vietnamese boy growing up in the USA with his mother and grandmother, who are both traumatized by Vietnam war and the atrocities committed to ...