Instead we get a whole book of Eleanor’s avoidance behaviors with no hope for improvement, and reading it was a bleak and unenjoyable experience. A graduate of Columbia ’ s MFA Program, she has received fellowships from The Center for Fiction and Kundiman.

It’s not necessary to have read Dickens’ famous novel to appreciate Kingsolver’s absorbing tale, but those who have will savor the tough-minded changes she rings on his Victorian sentimentality while affirming his stinging critique of a heartless society. But there are larger themes of forgiveness running throughout the book, primarily regarding Lito’s father and the priest; Lito and the priest; Lito and his father; Lito’s son and his father. Many described this book "hilarious": I don't agree with this, the main character is quite unique and quirky at times, but I would never say that she is funny or the book hilarious. A riveting, wise, and singular novel about grief, love, longing, and the mysteries of family, A Quitter’s Paradise will linger in your heart and mind. However, I think there are readers who will still enjoy "A Quitter's Paradise", since the writing flows well and is very accessible.Or do we love by trying, by shaping and forming, conforming, and reforming, failing and trying again? Chang explores the surprising contours of grief and the strange shapes we makes around our grief as we heal. But I still think it’s a really valuable perspective on grief, paralysis, and the weight of history.

Eleanor, however, is comfortable and thinks to herself, “Yes, I have had to face the fact that I quit. In the past timeline, we get to know Rita through her backstory, which plays a huge role in shaping her relationship with her daughters in their childhood years. Author Mallery has created a delightful story of friendship between three women that also offers a variety of love stories as they fall in love, make mistakes, and figure out how to be the best—albeit still flawed—versions of themselves. Here, the themes include family fractures, working-class and undocumented immigrant lives, miscarriage (though underexplored), self-knowledge, parental expectations, and loss.Eleanor Liu is a “chronic avoider”—she runs from every difficulty life presents, but how long can she outrun grief? He may not find the precise answer, but his quest for it, in Go’s elegant and incisive prose, is perpetually captivating. I saved so many piercing quotes from this book that I’ll be referring back to, and I can’t wait for this book to find its readers. Summer’s here, the days are longer, and we’re delivering lots of Poured Over Double Shot episodes to help you plan your summer reading, starting with Jonathan Eig and Héctor Tobar on June 1st. Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects, SJP Lit for accepting my request to read and review A Quitters Paradise.

Kingsolver’s ferocious indictment of the pharmaceutical industry, angrily stated by a local girl who has become a nurse, is in the best Dickensian tradition, and Demon gives a harrowing account of his descent into addiction with his beloved Dori (as naïve as Dickens’ Dora in her own screwed-up way). What kept this from being a perfect novel for me is that it tries to cover too much ground (it doesn’t quite manage the pithy restraint of CHEMISTRY or Rachel Khong’s GOODBYE, VITAMIN), and the ending left me scratching my head a bit. At the same time, she is conducting illegal experiments with mice from the lab, and if she gets caught, it could mean the end for her husband along with her. The present-day storyline is told in first person, while the past is told in third person, giving a more omniscient view into Eleanor’s parents’ interiority. Jing was often away for work and when he was at home, he was mostly indifferent (and sometimes violent) toward his family.

While the story comes down clearly on the side of all-encompassing love, Mallery has struck a careful balance: There is just enough sex to be spicy, just enough swearing to be naughty, and just enough heartbreak to avoid being cloying. Meanwhile, glimpses of Eleanor’s childhood and family history in Taiwan unfurl, revealing long-held secrets, and Eleanor starts to realize that she will never be able to escape her grief, or her family, despite her wildest attempts. I struggled to really get invested in this debut that explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship between an Asian American immigrant and her daughter and the grief that comes when she dies unexpectedly. A funny and endearing story made up of vivid characters, A Quitters Paradise tackles grief and complicated family dynamics.

Our soon-to-be orphaned narrator’s mother is a substance-abusing teenage single mom who checks out via OD on his 11th birthday, and Demon’s cynical, wised-up voice is light-years removed from David Copperfield’s earnest tone. One of Kingsolver’s major themes, hit a little too insistently, is the contempt felt by participants in the modern capitalist economy for those rooted in older ways of life. I would recommend checking it out at least once if you’re interested in any of the themes I’ve mentioned during this review, or if the synopsis ends up vibing with you in a way that resonates. The writing was very good however, and I would definitely read another book by this author with a more linear storyline. I personally struggle with litfic that isn’t really plot driven — although I did love the writing style and flow of the book through different perspectives.

The narrative alternates between a past and present timeline, with the present one told from Eleanor’s first person perspective, covering her adult life where she and her husband Ellis are both scientists working on their PhDs.