Smart Oven For Lonely People by Elizabeth Tan
Trigger Warning: not providing one for this book.
Age Rating: 17+ [only two stories with mature themes]
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction, Surrealism.
A Spoiler Free Summary
A short story collection full of relevant social issues in conjunction with surrealist elements that touch on both degenerate utopias and dystopias which questions the readers’ belief if there is actually a difference between the two. Overall, for those who don’t want to analyse the stories’ content, it is just a fun short story collection to read.
Review
Tan’s unique titles and stories are eye catching and enticing. I loved her short story collection which was introduced to me through school [specifically literature] and is definitely a book I would recommend to others. Apart from her in-depth way of writing I was so happy to find an Australian Asian author, especially part of the VCE curriculum and I hope her work will continue to be there. She tackled many relevant topics and exaggerated the world we live in which draws us close, so we understand and see that this saturated version of a degenerate utopia is actually what our world is becoming. In stories such as “A Girl Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre” it criticised materialism and consumerism in a more advert way and expressed a girl who was simply looking around a shopping centre. This is very much like the reality of our world and “Ron Swanson’s Stencilled ‘Stache” is about a the take over of social media and how many things that seem real but are just a façade. I really enjoyed the way she wrote some of her descriptions were so satisfying [I have added some of my favourite moments in the quotes section] and definitely her titles were some of the most interesting ones I’ve read, which really encompasses her personality of her short stories. As I read this a couple months ago for school [even earlier when I read it for the first time], my initial thoughts aren’t as clear, but I still wanted to share this book, the main thing I remember is how refreshing the novel was from the sea of classic literature school required.
I also would just recommend her short stories in general because the writing is so engaging, and the stories are just very enjoyable in general.
School had also required me to write a short story based on one of her stories, before my SAC, we wrote practice stories and I wrote on inspired by the elements of “A Girl Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre,” I’ll be sharing that towards the end of the holiday season as that plays a part in the story so please keep an eye out, in the meantime please check out Elizabeth Tan and her work, including “Smart Oven for Lonely People.”
Quotes
“Grown-ups had a way of doing that-flattening their fears with concrete, building something neat and pretty on top, as if life really were a picnic.” [Night of the Fish]
“A man-shaped membranous sac of blood.” [Our Sleeping Lungs Opened to the Cold]
“This gentle darkness, this soft temple. This loving body, unspooling from the harness of man-made meaning.” [Our Sleeping Lungs Opened to the Cold]
“It please her to be a girl and to be like other girls because the best people in her life are all girls, so why wouldn’t she want to be like other girls?” [A Girl is Sitting on a Unicorn in the Middle of a Shopping Centre]
“Or a kind of perfunctory empathy, the detection of a blip in his beautiful universe, something to rectify as soon as possible so he could keep sailing on?” [Smart Ovens for Lonely People]
“I came to be in this very predicament, I would lie awake in the cold indigo light, nerve-bitten, twitching, strapped hopelessly to consciousness like half an avocado to one of those avocado saver things.” [Ron Swanson’s Stencilled ‘Stache]
“She messaged the red lines intersecting her torso and tried to love and understand and honour her body into something less conspicuous, something to carry without apology.” [Washing Day]
“The sky becomes the sinister colour of cordial.” [Lola Metronome and Calliope St Laurent Having a Picnic at the End of Civilisation as We Know It]
Recommendations
If you are looking for a short story collection that tackles materialism, consumerism and many relevant issues today in a unique and over saturated way, this is a wonderful story collection for it.
Pros
It’s a short story collection so the information is easy to digest and especially good if you are trying to get out of a reading slump.
Cons
Nothing in particular.
Tag: #reading
Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
Loveboat, Taipei Trigger warning: Racism, internalised racism, stereotyping. Age rating:14+ Overall rating: 5.2 out of 5 Genres: Young Adult, contemporary romance. A spoiler free summary Ever Wong is unexpectedly sent away by her parents to Taipei. She arrives anticipating a strict educational program, but she could not be more wrong. The Loveboat is place where adults are “oblivious” to the continuous nightlife and hook-ups. Will this be Ever’s chance to be who she wants to be and give her the courage to chase her actual dreams rather than her parent’s expectations? Review I loved Loveboat, Taipei so much, there were so many moments where I was really able to connect to the main characters. This book was one I annotated quite a lot [I’m not really an annotating reader] for the first time in a while and I really related to many of the thoughts and feelings of the main character, such as feeling too Asian in one environment and not Asian enough in another. It made my heart swell with seeing so much representation in one novel, it felt as if the author was trying to fit as many different East Asian voices as she could to make up for the lack of representation in the literary world and this novel definitely should receive more hype. It did have some clichés and stereotypes throughout the novel but all of which are unfortunately still binding to Asians in the real world. The author, though her characters really unpacked some of it conveying a message to readers that it is okay to not be part of the stereotypes but it’s also okay to be part of them as well, also expressing sometimes it is not completely the parents’ faults either but rather society’s expectations. The romance gives slight enemies to lovers energy and the friendships were so precious and makes it more heart breaking when something unexpected happens. Even the characters I did not particular liked grew on me and I was able to appreciate their roles in the story. The writing style not insanely complex but it is very well written and descriptive, it is also quite a fast paced novel and has a reasonable amount of dialogue. The main focus of the story is coming to terms with one’s identity and what that means to the main character while exploring romance and finding friends who are like you. It is nice to see that family is not forgotten about, especially since Young Adult novels often do and are mentioned throughout the novel showing the importance of family to the main character even if they hold her back from pursuing her dreams. I also love when authors add a note to the reader whether it is a dedication or in the acknowledgements, but the author added a page giving background information and a thank you to the reader which I appreciate. Throughout the novel she added a random fact perfect to the storyline and I enjoy that you can learn something like that from a novel. I am very much looking forward to reading the second novel but am a little sad to see it is not from Ever’s perspective but of Sophie’s since I grew quite attached to Ever. In other views Sophie will definitely be an interesting character to see her thoughts so I’m sure “Loveboat, Reunion” will be a fantastic read as this one. Overall, I really loved this novel, especially the representation as well as family dynamics and connecting friendships. Quotes “you don’t do anything to draw attention to your asianess,” “my parents would slit their throats for my happiness, and in return my future is their future.” “I don’t know a soul here but, in this moment, the loneliness I feel is overridden by the larger strangeness of blending in.” “even among a horde of Chinese Americans I’m not Chinese American enough.” “I opened my lunch box to shrieks of horrified, “what are those?” and I begged my mom not to pack me any more weird Chinese food.” “we need to take back these stereotypes.” “I’m not the only one taking charge of my identity this summer.” “I used to avoid looking in the mirror with my Caucasian friends, because my eyes seemed small in comparison.” Recommendations Looking to find Asian representation, this book is for you. It heavy explores being Asian and the pressures/stereotypes it comes with as well as growing into the person you are meant to be. Pros Explores family dynamics, finding friends who are the same as you, coming to terms with one’s identity and a “unexpected” sweet romance. Cons Nothing in particular at this moment.
My favourite Books of 2021, part four. Excuse me while I ugly cry by Joya Goffney.
EXCUSE ME WHILE I UGLY CRY BY JOYA GOFFNEY
Excuse me while I ugly cry is a contemporary romance focusing on black main characters. A girl named Quinn Jackson is obsessed with lists and when her diary goes missing, she must join forces with Carter, who was last seen with her journal. This novel follows the journey of a budding romance and fierce friendships. It was an easy one sitting read written in first person from Quinn’s perspective with fun chapter names, great character development and a loveable storyline which might even make you laugh. I respected the author for tackling heavy themes without making it the focus of the story, this created a balance of light-hearted and intense moments. The chapter names were incredibly fun, it wasn’t just one-word names, they were full sentences, and it just added another lovely touch to the book. I also liked seeing the mild “enemies to lovers” aspect in this contemporary romance even if it wasn’t prominent for long. Overall, a charming novel.
Trigger warning: racism, trauma, death.
Enna Mari 