That Time I Loved You

by Carrianne Leung

Life is never as perfect as it seems.

Tensions that have lurked beneath the surface of a shiny new subdivision rise up, in new fiction from the author of the Toronto Book Award—shortlisted The Wondrous Woo

The suburbs of the 1970s promised to be heaven on earth—new houses, new status, happiness guaranteed. But in a Scarborough subdivision populated by newcomers from all over the world, a series of sudden catastrophic events reveals that not everyone’s dreams come true. Moving from house to house, Carrianne Leung explores the inner lives behind the tidy front gardens and picture-perfect windows, always returning to June, an irrepressible adolescent Chinese-Canadian coming of age in this shifting world. Through June and her neighbours, Leung depicts the fine line where childhood meets the realities of adult life, and examines, with insight and sharp prose, how difficult it is to be true to ourselves at any age.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Canada, Book Club, Contemporary, Young Adult, Coming Of Age

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Dolors · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while, but I finally found the book I was meant to read at this precise moment in my life. “That time I loved you” is a tight-knitted collection of stories set in a suburban neighborhood of Toronto at the end of the 70s that moved me beyond my expectations.

Told in the first person narrator, Carrianne Leung explores the confusing boundaries between childhood, adolescence and adulthood through the eyes of the children in the neighbourhood, using June’s perspective, an eleven years-old Chinese girl, as an anchor to link all the stories together and create a global narrative.

Gendered violence, suicide, abuse and racial bias are themes carefully explored, reminding the reader of the capacity children possess to assimilate the complexities of life, sometimes bearing burdens much harder than adults with astonishing moral strength. At the same time, one is reminded of the particular moment when children become fully aware of the fragility of their parents and also the fact that they will have to make a conscious effort to find a place in a world that is unfair, cruel and usually deceitful.

Leung’s subtility handling June’s role in these intertwinned stories reminded me of Sprout’s dexterous hand with her famous Olive in “Olive Kitteridge” and of Alice Munro’s prowess to elevate the tragedies of everyday life to the transcendental, creating a unique space where the reader is utterly immersed in a world so recognizable that it feels real.

This reader, at least, will carry June and her peers for a while, very tenderly and close to my heart, relishing the memories of the time we spent together, loving their childhood purely and letting them go to see them grow and become different people, so that they, so that we all, can move forward.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone in this book has some serious problems, and if that isn't realistic, I don't know what is.

review to come...

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

....Do you remember a specific day in your life when you knew you grew up?
....Have you ever thought that maybe you’re a prisoner to the seasons? Or that your grandmother from Hong Kong did?
These were just a couple of questions I thought about while reading “That Time I Loved You”.....
“Life is never as perfect as it seems”......(the truth is revealed)....
....a wonderful book of linked stories by Toronto Book-Award-winning author, Carrianne Leung.

Leung explores the inner lives behind the tidy front gardens and picture perfect windows, in a Scarborough subdivision populated by newcomers all over the world during the 1970s.
These stories about Chinese Canadians…coming-of-age in-a-shifting-world.....
are quirky, poignant, thought provoking, and ingeniously personal with shrewdness and empathy.

I sooooooo enjoyed this book!!!!! COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!!

Wisdom and insights are brimming with emotion and memorable characters.
You’ll meet:
June, Josie, Marilyn, Darren, Poh Poh, Francesca... and other supporting characters.

These domestic tragic-comic tales are powerful, ( EVERY STORY HAS THAT ADDICTIVE QUALITY)....
....richly detailed, and psychologically affirming!!!

Themes include families, infidelity, sexual orientation, teen angst, parenting, suicide, mental illness, communities, friendships, young love, heartbreaks, bullying, class divisions, immigration, racism...
Carrianne Leung has great skills at being able to take us into a characters mind!
But.... nothing I write here will do justice.
This book MUST BE EXPERIENCED!!!!

FANTASTIC AUDIOBOOK WALKING COMPANION!!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.... for those looking for
an audiobook that comes with ( my guarantee).... NOT TO BORE YOU!!!

Sooooo Good!!!!!!
....June and Josie will ‘especially’ stay in my thoughts a long time!

5 STRONG STARS!!!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

[CanadianReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

In That Time I Loved You, Carrianne Leung gives us a sensitively observed, accessible collection of linked short stories set in a Scarborough, Ontario neighbourhood, an immigrant enclave that forms the large eastern section of the City of Toronto. Moving to Scarborough from Toronto’s seedy downtown is not merely a geographical shift for Leung’s characters, it is a confident first step upwards out of the working class and into a middle-class way of life.

Leung presents the narratives of a diverse group of mostly first-generation Canadians: Chinese, Portuguese, Jamaican, Indian, and Italian. Many stories are told from the point of view of older children, friends of a young Chinese-Canadian girl, June, who is the closest thing to a protagonist in Leung’s book. The stories explore the underbelly of superficially neat, “cookie-cutter”, suburban existence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. As the collection opens, there has been a spate of parent suicides in the neighbourhood. A kids’ soccer coach, an alienated and mentally ill Portuguese mother of a teen-aged son, and a young married woman with small children have all died by their own hand. Other “pathologies” are considered, too: a well-regarded school teacher is deeply racist; one retired accountant is a kleptomaniac; there’s domestic abuse; and one child character’s uncle has problems with sexual boundaries.

Leung’s book is an easily read collection which provides a wonderful snapshot of a Toronto suburb at a particular moment in time.

Rating: 3.5/5

[Courtney Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! Each chapter tells the story of a different family in a suburb of Toronto in the late 70s/early 80s with an overarching story about a Chinese teen, June. The collection of stories reminds us that not everything is as it seems and that you never truly know what is going on behind closed doors. The stories were thought-provoking, sometimes quite sad - but all so well written. I felt so connected to the characters which is rare for a collection of short stories. I think the author did a great job describing what it feels like to be on the cusp of adulthood when you still can’t help but feel you’re still just a kid. I loved the last chapter where June sees her neighbourhood with new eyes and grapples with the feeling of “home”.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The residents of a Toronto suburb cope with growing up amid a spate of surprise suicides in the late 1970s and early 1980s in this linked short story collection. Leung explores different points of view on the same events and shows the changes that take place in the community over the course of several years. Three of the 10 stories are narrated by June, who is 11 years old at the start. Her parents came over from Hong Kong 15 years ago. Other stories fill in a kaleidoscopic view of the neighborhood, showing how lonely the residents are – and how segregated along ethnic lines. Leung returns to June’s perspective at the beginning, middle, and end of the book, so we see her growing up and learning how the world works. Hard lessons are in store for her: people are sometimes punished for their differences, and the older generation doesn’t have it all figured out. Suburbia gets a bad rap, but it’s where so many of us come from, so it’s heartening to see a writer taking it seriously here.

See my full review at BookBrowse. (See also my article on linked short story collections.)

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"THAT TIME I LOVED YOU is about children losing innocence and adults burying pain, and yet is also a hopeful portrayal of friendship, kinship and community."
- Farzana Doctor, author of ALL INCLUSIVE

For the neighbours in the brand new subdivision of Scarborough, secrets, longing and madness simmer beneath the bright surface in Carrianne Leung's linked stories set in the 1970's.

Through linked stories of June, an adolescent Chinese Canadian girl, and her neighbours from Portugal, Italy, Jamaica, Hong Kong and other parts of the world we see that "Life is never as perfect as it seems."
4.5 rounded up to 5 twinkling stars ⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️⭐️️

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been trying to read more Canadian authors lately, which led to me reading this book! What a fantastic collection of short stories all taking place in the same suburban neighbourhood. These stories are all intertwined and have characters from the other chapters popping into them. Such an intriguing read, with glimpses into the neighbour's lives! I highly recommend this one!

[Mj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fully absorbed and thoroughly enjoyed That Time I Loved You by Carrianne Leung. This is a bit surprising since it is a book of linked stories. In some linked stories I’ve read, the author fails to pull all the different stories together in a cohesive way so that the reader does not necessarily get emotionally involved with each story. This is not the case however with That Time I Loved You. Carrianne Leung’s integration engaged me in every single linked story. I think part of this is Leung’s use of June as the book’s narrator. She is a young Chinese girl telling each story and involved directly in many. Well known by all her neighbours, June is the common thread in the stories. We are involved in June’s growth from childhood to young adulthood as it is sort of a coming of age story as well, in the midst of all the other stories. June’s story and her observations are an important piece of the linkage between the various stories and engaging the reader in each.

There are many negative things happening in the neighbourhood - suicides, abuse, alcoholism, stealing, isolation and more - sort of a microcosm of the world. Despite the difficult topics, which are not treated flippantly but written about in a direct matter of fact fashion in an open and honest way - not surprising because the story is being told by a child (June.) The author makes it easy to read about these traumas. I cannot exactly put my finger on why, but Leung’s writing absolutely captivates and flows no matter what the topic. She writes about difficult topics and yet the book is an easy read. There is never lot of dwelling on the sadder aspects of the difficulties but they also are never glazed over. Leung, via June tells the facts and moves on. It is only later on that June starts to think more about the suicides and to worry about future suicides and the possible issues and reasons they happen. That is when I too stopped to pause and wonder why? Just like June did. I think Lueng’s lack of dwelling on any of the issues makes it a quick and flowing read. She does not drag anything out and ends up with a short book that has much more issues, information and engagement than many books double its length.

Leung introduces levity with her use of the many children in the neighbourhood playing in the streets, with their sporting events and neighbourhood parties. Youthful joy and enthusiasm in the midst of the suburbs filled with suicides, wife and child beating and emotional abuse happening, offer levity and relief. Leung does not overdo the negative happenings or the happy moments but rather finds a perfect balance so that readers are able to learn about many tough but important issues happening primarily in the adult community. The levity of youth ensures people continue to read because it’s not overly heavy or disheartening. Leung quickly uplifts readers from darker moments by sharing the joy and “living in the moment’ found in the youth that she also writes about.

That Time I Loved You highlights some very important social and mental health issues - suicides, abuse, alcoholism, stealing etcetera. Despite these heavier topics, due to the author’s skills, I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading this book. I think it is a universal story that will appeal to many ages and that could have been set anywhere in the world with a multi-cultural or a differently diverse mixture of citizens living in a suburb or a neighbourhood where people live close to each other and walk, play and socialize together. Leung tells an interesting story about new immigrants, more settled immigrants and non-immigrants in all their humanness - their secrets, problems, children, work life, settings and interactions, all impacting each other. It reads like a reflection or microcosm of our extremely diverse world and provided lots for readers to ponder. Enjoyable, informative and worth reading. 4 Stars.

[jenny✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

some stories didn't quite hit the spot for me, but the last several - particularly the concluding trio of "sweets", "rain", and "that time i loved you" - were truly poignant standouts in this collection.

i loved the concept of a series of short stories told from different perspectives yet set in the same neighbourhood, and while sometimes the execution faltered, this book really sticks its landing. as a whole, that time i loved you evokes such coming-of-age nostalgia, and highlights meaning in the mundane.

i'm in a bit of a book slump and gravitated toward this collection on a whim, and, emotionally, it delivered!

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

That Time I Loved You opens with a “sit up and take notice” first sentence: “1979: This was the year the parents in my neighbourhood began killing themselves.”

The neigbourhood of 11-year-old June Lee, the first-person narrator of three of these ten interrelated stories, is a suburban enclave of Toronto. And the deaths are both literal and figurative. The old way is dying as the community expands uneasily to include other ethnicities and lifestyles—Chinese, Indian, Italian, Polish, black, gay, and so forth.

For most, moving here was an upward journey. But instead of a sense of achievement, many of the residents are faced with disillusionment and that sense that something’s missing. Boundaries are firmly in place—social class boundaries, racial/gender boundaries, and the boundaries that separate childhood from adolescence and adolescence from adulthood.

In one of her stories, Carriannne Leung writes, “Every day presented choices to be made, who to love, who to be. Every day was a collective staring down into a deep hole of one’s own making and imagining.” Some cannot navigate that deep hole; those are the suicides. But others forge on, a little wiser, a little sadder, and in the best of cases, a little more hopeful.

The characters here really sparkle—June and her best friend Josie who experience different paths to their first kiss; Darren, the son of a Jamaican mother who comes face-to-face with racism; Marilyn, a one-time spinster with a big heart who can’t help herself from stealing; Nav, an Indian boy who is struggling with his gay identity. None of these come off as stereotypes; rather, these are fleshed-out depictions of people who are authentic and aching.

I would particularly recommend for those who love the Elizabeth Strout Olive Kitteridge books. In an afterword, Ms. Leung writes “…while this book refers to suicide, I hope it’s also a testament to the resilience we share when faced with the often-difficult work of living.” It is, Ms. Leung—it most certainly is.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often that I rave about a book of short stories because my usual reading experience is that collections are uneven. Some stories are good and others not up to par. Not so with Carrianne Leung's 'That Time I Loved You'. All the stories are magnificent, nuanced, and tackle difficult subjects with empathy, poignancy and a great depth of understanding.

The first story, 'Grass', deals with a rash of suicides in a middle class neighborhood. It is told from the vantage point of June, an eleven year old girl who wonders why parents would take their own lives. "We all began to worry: This was my and most of my friends' first experience of death. It was kind of exciting at first, but then it got scary. Would there be another one? And another one after that?" The answer is 'yes' and the children worry about their own parents as they realize that adults, and even children, hold secrets and lead lives that others do not know about. It is these secrets that form the essence of much of this book.

The author deals with mental illness in a very empathetic and knowledgeable way. As a clinical social worker who has worked with the seriously mentally ill and their families, I was very impressed with the empathy and understanding shown by Ms. Leung. She writes about families, addressing the unique and often deep seated problems each family faces. She tackles issues of domestic violence, children coming to grips with their sexual orientation, acculturation and cultural differences, young love, growing older, teenage angst, infidelity and racism. It might seem like overreaching to address all these topics in a relatively short book, but the stories flow organically, the interconnections of the characters feels natural and the writing is superb. I had difficulty putting the book down.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oscillating between 3 and 4. There certainly are some memorable stories in That Time I Loved You. On the other hand... there certainly are some forgettable ones. The stories are linked by a neighbourhood in suburban Scarborough. So if you're looking for a range of stories in this collection, you're not going to be travelling outside a few streets' radius. What Carrianne Leung finds within this neighbourhood in the late 70s to early 80s is quiet and lively at the same time. While I didn't grow up in suburbia, what she captures is pretty convincing. Ostensibly, she's gone into her past to dig up these tales - both darker than the cream-and-robin blue book design and betrayed by the final story title as the collection title. It's just that no story truly packs a punch - that's my issue with it. It develops a good snapshot, yes. But does it dig deep into the topics it purportedly examines? Suicide? Abuse? The new Canadian experience? Meh. Not really. However, Leung's stories that specifically revolve around children... those resonate greatly and are among the strongest of this book's stories. I just wish they all matched the calibre of some of its best (Fences, Kiss).

[Elise Buller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kind of felt like this novel didn’t really go anywhere? Don’t get me wrong I really liked the book but I felt like it just barely skimmed the top of what were some really great characters and their stories but that was it. I wanted more depth and more detail so I could get to know some of them better and follow along farther in their journey. I would like to give it 5 stars for the characters and story lines as I found it very interesting but at the same time only want to give it 3 stars as it felt very short and cut off just as I was getting invested in each character and that left me frustrated and feeling like it was unfinished.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

They move into a life that promises to improve on the one they lived in the city, with better schools and fresh new homes, but in the first of these linked stories there are already three suicides, the reasons made clear in future stories. June is the narrator of several of these stories, June, a precocious but highly recognizable tween who comes of age in the ensuing narratives, has immigrant parents from China and over the course of this time her grandmother is brought over from Hong Kong. But most of the stories are about inhabitants of the neighborhood who lead lives not particularly original but, rather, familiar. Well done.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 1970’s suburban community of Scarborough, there lay a promise of new life for many immigrants. Families arriving from other countries, or simply trying to get out of downtown Toronto, bought modest new homes in the new subdivisions with hopes that hard work would make their dreams come true. Carrianne Leung’s book of interconnected short stories about some of the families who lived on one particular street in Scarborough show how those dreams didn’t necessarily come true, and although their common bond of hoping for a new life forged some friendships, there was often an underlying tension between the residents of various cultures that had been thrown together. Because the stories are told from the adolescents’ points of view, this is also glimpse of the lives of a group of kids who are suddenly facing the realities of adulthood and making that transition from childhood to adulthood.

I have to admit that part of what appealed to me in these stories is simply the fact that I could relate so well to the many references Leung made to Toronto of the 1970’s. I knew exactly what she meant when she mentioned 1050 CHUM and Macs Milk. There were a lot of other more general references made that nailed the period, like Roadrunner jeans (I’d forgotten about those!) and painter pants. As a result, she very firmly planted me back in the time period. But that isn’t to say you had to grow up in 1970’s Toronto to relate to these stories. This is definitely a story about a diverse neighbourhood and its underlying tensions, but it’s more than that. I think she simply nailed the coming of age stories of a group of diverse adolescents, experiences that are universal no matter where you grew up. The stories cross racial, cultural, gender and class lines beautifully. I can see why it was a finalist for the Toronto Book Award and winner of the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. I’m wavering between 4 and 5 stars, but I feel I can’t quite bump it up to a 5. It’s definitely a very, very solid 4, though.

[A.B. Neilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a complex story of different characters living in a neighborhood in Scarborough, Toronto. The American dream is for many immigrants fulfilled only to find out that not everything is as good as it looks like.
The story starts when some of the parents commit suicide, told by one of the children that lives in the neighborhood. Then the POV shifts to other characters like in La Colmena, by Camilo José Cela.
The individual stories are compelling and the characters are complex and well developed, but the story drifts a little just because of the character shifting. It was a book club assignment and I really enjoyed it.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book ticks off all of my book desires: interconnected stories, diverse characters, varying levels of darkness and humor, messed up/dysfunctional families, accidental beauty and effortless sadness and threads of joy and love and tenderness and vulnerability. At times super ralatable and at others new and learnable. LOVE IT!

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off a bit slow, and it was hard for me personally to reconcile the idyllic Scarborough veneer Leung describes with the more contemporary Scarborough I'm familiar with, but I really like some of the later chapters. The bit about the parents' suicides in the beginning didn't really grab me, and, I felt, didn't really go anywhere, but the final chapters were fantastic.

My favourites:
- "Things" - Darren's story about being Jamaican-Canadian and dealing with a math teacher who keeps picking on him -- that memory of what his mother told him at a mall when he was younger? bam!
- "Kiss" - Josie's story about feeling overshadowed by her more outgoing best friend June, trying to be the perfect daughter and niece, and dealing with a deeply wrong situation -- I thought the way Leung portrayed her discomfort was masterfully done
- "Sweets" - June's grandmother Poh Poh getting used to life in Canada after immigrating from Hong Kong -- I love, love, love the subtlety of the details that are revealed about her.

There's also a side character named Nav who I really wish had gotten a chapter of his own. I loved him in the "Sweets" chapter, and would've loved to see more of him.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review on my blog ReadingMaria.

This book is honestly my absolute favourite of the year (so far). It’s a collection that will be staying with me for a long time! I finished this a few days ago, but I’m still thinking about it. The characters, the situations, the writing…everything. I never thought in a million years that I would choose a short story collection as my absolute favourite. I felt every word and action deep in the feels. I found empathy where I might not have, there was anger, shock – all the emotions. It took me a day to read this book, but it just left me wanting more of Carriane Leung’s writing. I want more books by her, period.

[Magdelanye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps you've had occasion to drive by or even visit one of the many suburbs that inevitably surround big cities. Maybe you've even wondered about the lives enclosed in these enclaves or what could induce people to move there in the first place. Hopefully, you are not living in

...this nothing place where you could walk and walk for hours and never arrive anywhere. 148

In these delicately linked stories CL cleverly exposes the neighbourhood dynamics as she escorts us on a guided tour. We get to know the residents from the casual thoughts and comments they exchange and it might be quite different from what is going on behind the picture windows.

Did these people think that having perfect grass all over the place would change that kind of anger? p151

[Elena L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good collection of short stories setting in a suburb neighborhood (Scarborough) in 1970s: in "That time I loved you", the stories are interconnected and told in multiple narrators - this book approaches topics such as daily struggles, marriage, family, immigrants and unhappiness. The way Carrianne Leung describes the characters is well-developed, with diverse backgrounds and a pinch of dark humor and satirism. Though I didn't feel connected with any particular character, the writing is fine/easy and the several perspectives give us a glimpse of this neighborhood thoughts. I would read more from this Canadian author.

[Thanks to Liveright for the ARC and all opinions are my own]

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of linked short stories set in 70s in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Beautiful and nostalgic. How come every writer who writes about Scarborough, writes so well? David Chariandy, Catherine Hernandez and now Carrianne Leung.

[Ryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

With each town I have been stopping in I go to the library and grab a book that I could easily read in a day. It’s like each book is a reminder of where I was at the time to help keep this experience contained in my memory. Right now, I am visiting Sydney, a very good friend, probably the best one I have right now, from my alma mater, Virginia Tech, and I’m around mile 637 on the trail! I’m more than a fourth of the way done.

I picked this one up not having ever heard of it, and the synopsis on the jacket seemed interesting. I was wrong. It was a mistake read. Very rarely do I find a book so low in quality that it’s a 1 star, so this truly was rock bottom for me.

Leung approach’s the story with the idea of looking at people behind closed doors within the small community in Canada. It’s a topic that if done well can be really fascinating. This is one of those stories that you have to expand the moment, and really dig into the scene. She never does that. Everything is so surface level and flat. It felt to me that she might have written this in a solid month.

If this is to depict real life, I feel like one community can’t have just the worst shit happen to every character. It doesn’t seem real. I get that she wanted to show that there’s more going on in peoples lives that meet the eye, but that doesn’t mean that every character has to suffer. I very much was not into the uncle molesting his niece. We didn’t need to go there especially if there wasn’t a purpose other than “she needs something terrible to happen to her to get the point across that everyone has bad stuff happen to them even if they don’t tell you.”

This is supposed to be set in the late 70’s and the only way you know that is because she tells you. She only adds TV and song references to make you ~feel~ like you’re there.

Her book is better than mine (the joke being that I don’t have a book written), but this was really bad. Never once did I feel compassion for these cookie cutter, flat, characters. I got to the last chapter and thought to myself, “is it even worth it? Do I even really care what happens?” I didn’t, but I finished it despite lack of interest. The ending itself wasn’t even good!! Like, that’s how you’re going to end it?? UGH.

I could rant more, but it’s not worth my time. I clearly didn’t enjoy this, but it could be a different experience for you, so if you want to, then go for it.

[Mary Lins · Rating 4 out of 5]

“That Time I Loved You”, by Carrianne Leung, is ten very interconnected stories set in the late 1970s early 1980s in suburban Toronto. The first line is: “1979: this was the year the parents in my neighborhood began killing themselves.” Wow. What an arresting first line! Who wouldn’t keep reading? This first person narrator is pre-teen June Lee, the daughter of Chinese immigrants who live in a diverse, middle-class neighborhood. The ensuing stories have various narrative points of view, but June’s is the only first-person and she pops up most often.

Indeed there is a rash of suicides in this little enclave, and Leung gives us insight into each. She also paints a realistic and evocative picture of that era, which had me strolling down memory lane:

Barry Manilow songs
Paper routes
Soap Operas
Playing in the street
When you whispered or spelled out the word “c-a-n-c-e-r” as if it was catching
Malls!

But through its examination of the suicides these stories also touches on the darker side of this neighborhood of green lawns and lace curtains:

Immigrant experiences
Mental illness
Sexual abuse
Spousal abuse
Child abuse
Infidelity
Envy
Malice
Compulsions

I highly recommend this collection and I’ll be excitedly looking for more from Carrianne Leung in the future.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories are more crafted than others but the entirety of the tapestry Leung has woven is beautifully intricate. There is an intentional, yet not forced interplay between the desperation of the adults and the loss of innocence of the children. As a lover of diaspora literature, I also loved the multi-ethnic characters.

I also particularly appreciated the last paragraph in the author's ending acknowledgements. It has always been my hope to find what feels like personal messages in author's notes.

[✿✿✿May · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is woven together by the different short stories, surrounding the characters June has interactions with. This book touches on the delicate issue of suicides, and their aftermaths in the little community of Scarborough. I liked it, even though "short stories" is not my genre, as all the characters are related. This book is on the longlist of Canada Reads 2019.

[Savannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just like everything I love put in one book. Idk what it is but books like this just remind me why I love reading and is just one that resonates.

[Priscilla Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me sobbing. Despite the title, and the general genre of the books I review-- this is not a romance novel. Although I had been severely mislead, I am glad to have stumbled upon something a lot more real than a fantastical romance.

Once, I asked Poh Poh if she wanted to return to Hong Kong, and she said that once you left a place, you could never go back and expect it to feel like home. Places change, she said, and so do people. Memories sometimes lie.

To set the scene, its the late 1970s in Scarborough, Ontario just as this suburban neighbourhood is just beginning to develop. These cookie-cutter houses are being filled with diverse families with unique backgrounds of their own. We mainly follow June, a Chinese-Canadian preteen who witnesses a series of suicides take place within her neighbourhood. Through her innocent eyes, as well as the perspectives of many others in the community, we develop an understanding of just how complex the lives of others can be.

Read more about my thoughts on That Time I Loved You on my blog here!

[Deea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*