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The Moon Represents My Heart
'A beautiful exploration of family, love and loss across the generations. Fresh, fun... I didn't want it to end.' Gemma Chan
The biggest debut of the summer, soon to be a major Netflix series.
Joshua and Lily know it from the moment they set eyes on one another: here is someone who shares their gift. Here is another time traveller.
Over the years they grow more adventurous, taking ever greater risks even after their twins, Tommy and Eva, are born. One day they depart and never return, and the children are left to deal with their grief alone.
Tommy takes refuge in the past, but when he falls in love with a woman from a different era, his fragile ties to the present day look set to disappear forever.
Heartfelt and hopeful, weaving through decades and across continents in incredible prose, The Moon Represents My Heart is an unforgettable debut about the bond between one extraordinary family, and the strength it takes to move forward.
The biggest debut of the summer, soon to be a major Netflix series.
Joshua and Lily know it from the moment they set eyes on one another: here is someone who shares their gift. Here is another time traveller.
Over the years they grow more adventurous, taking ever greater risks even after their twins, Tommy and Eva, are born. One day they depart and never return, and the children are left to deal with their grief alone.
Tommy takes refuge in the past, but when he falls in love with a woman from a different era, his fragile ties to the present day look set to disappear forever.
Heartfelt and hopeful, weaving through decades and across continents in incredible prose, The Moon Represents My Heart is an unforgettable debut about the bond between one extraordinary family, and the strength it takes to move forward.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2023
114 people are currently reading
7580 people want to read
About the author
Pim Wangtechawat
3 books63 followersPim Wangtechawat is a Thai-Chinese writer from Bangkok, Thailand.
Pim’s short stories, poems, and articles have been published in various websites, literary magazines and journals, including the Mekong Review, the Nikkei Asian Review, Den of Geek, and YesPoetry.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from King’s College London, and graduated with Distinction from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland with a Masters in Creative Writing. She has performed her poetry at events in Edinburgh hosted by Shoreline of Infinity and the Scottish BAME Writers Network.
Her debut novel, The Moon Represents My Heart, will be published by OneWorld Publications in the UK in Spring 2023, with American rights bought by Blackstone Publishing. Television rights sold after a competitive auction to 21 Laps and Netflix, with actress Gemma Chan set to star and produce.
Pim is passionate about using writing to empower Thai youths, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds. She has given workshops and talks at many schools and universities in Thailand, including Chulalongkorn University and Ruamrudee International.
Through her work, she aims to tell stories that reflect our shared humanity, and bring more Asian narratives to the forefront of literature.
She is currently working on her second novel, and is represented by Liza DeBlock of Mushens Entertainment.
Pim’s short stories, poems, and articles have been published in various websites, literary magazines and journals, including the Mekong Review, the Nikkei Asian Review, Den of Geek, and YesPoetry.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from King’s College London, and graduated with Distinction from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland with a Masters in Creative Writing. She has performed her poetry at events in Edinburgh hosted by Shoreline of Infinity and the Scottish BAME Writers Network.
Her debut novel, The Moon Represents My Heart, will be published by OneWorld Publications in the UK in Spring 2023, with American rights bought by Blackstone Publishing. Television rights sold after a competitive auction to 21 Laps and Netflix, with actress Gemma Chan set to star and produce.
Pim is passionate about using writing to empower Thai youths, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds. She has given workshops and talks at many schools and universities in Thailand, including Chulalongkorn University and Ruamrudee International.
Through her work, she aims to tell stories that reflect our shared humanity, and bring more Asian narratives to the forefront of literature.
She is currently working on her second novel, and is represented by Liza DeBlock of Mushens Entertainment.
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Want to read
July 2, 2022every time a Thai author gets a book deal (and a movie deal!) I feel like I’m on top of the world!!!!!!!
April 5, 2024
★☆ 1.5 stars, round up
AHHHHHHHHHH
I wish I loved this book! It has all the qualities that I usually like. But let me try to explain...
This book didn't work for me at all. A story of a family of time travelers facing the unknown ghosts of their ancestors in time sounded like my kind of book, so this was a bit of a letdown for me.
[I added one more star after discussing with an incredible friend who gave this book 5 stars and seemed to get what the author tries to achieve — so this extra star was actually for my friend 🌝]
It began with the Wang family — Joshua, Lilly, and their twin children Tommy and Eva, planning a trip back in time to get Bruce Lee's autograph. However, something happened and the rest of the book was an aftermath of that event. Family secrets, loss, and lifelong traumas from not being able to connect to your loved ones.
The concept was great and promising but the execution just left a huge space in my heart. Subtlety was charming but it was a slippery slope for some writer. There was a blurred line between profundity and something otherwise. My heart was screaming for more context, well-rounded character developments, and insightful exploration of complex human emotions (beyond the surface of grief and love)?? Just something substantial beyond lyrical narratives and metaphor.
The writing (and the overall vibe) of this novel was too sappy and melancholic - purple prose was superfluous in a way that didn't add a lot of value to the story. Despite an excessive use of words, all of the characters lacked depth and had zero developments. Sure, they were in love or longing or grieving, but who they were as a person beyond these sets of emotions? What were their personalities? How do they come up with important life decisions? I need to know — in order to care about the Wangs I need to know them as an individual, to care about them as a character, otherwise, I feel like such kind of story would never work for me.
Meanwhile, the description of settings and places, like London and Hong Kong, was very superficial :/ It was beautifully written, but I come across beautifully written books all the time, so I guess I wish for a unique narrative style that actually makes sense.
Overall, this was not a book for me. It was like an afternoon soap opera show with a series of strange symbolisms that I couldn't relate to/ decipher.
** Still, I'm always and forever happy to see more books by Thai authors get published internationally. Also, the writing wasn't too complex or difficult for beginners, so I would still recommend this to those who would like to practice their English.
---
Pre-read observation:
A Thai author getting an international book deal is my one true favorite vibe.
AHHHHHHHHHH
I wish I loved this book! It has all the qualities that I usually like. But let me try to explain...
This book didn't work for me at all. A story of a family of time travelers facing the unknown ghosts of their ancestors in time sounded like my kind of book, so this was a bit of a letdown for me.
[I added one more star after discussing with an incredible friend who gave this book 5 stars and seemed to get what the author tries to achieve — so this extra star was actually for my friend 🌝]
It began with the Wang family — Joshua, Lilly, and their twin children Tommy and Eva, planning a trip back in time to get Bruce Lee's autograph. However, something happened and the rest of the book was an aftermath of that event. Family secrets, loss, and lifelong traumas from not being able to connect to your loved ones.
The concept was great and promising but the execution just left a huge space in my heart. Subtlety was charming but it was a slippery slope for some writer. There was a blurred line between profundity and something otherwise. My heart was screaming for more context, well-rounded character developments, and insightful exploration of complex human emotions (beyond the surface of grief and love)?? Just something substantial beyond lyrical narratives and metaphor.
The writing (and the overall vibe) of this novel was too sappy and melancholic - purple prose was superfluous in a way that didn't add a lot of value to the story. Despite an excessive use of words, all of the characters lacked depth and had zero developments. Sure, they were in love or longing or grieving, but who they were as a person beyond these sets of emotions? What were their personalities? How do they come up with important life decisions? I need to know — in order to care about the Wangs I need to know them as an individual, to care about them as a character, otherwise, I feel like such kind of story would never work for me.
Meanwhile, the description of settings and places, like London and Hong Kong, was very superficial :/ It was beautifully written, but I come across beautifully written books all the time, so I guess I wish for a unique narrative style that actually makes sense.
Overall, this was not a book for me. It was like an afternoon soap opera show with a series of strange symbolisms that I couldn't relate to/ decipher.
** Still, I'm always and forever happy to see more books by Thai authors get published internationally. Also, the writing wasn't too complex or difficult for beginners, so I would still recommend this to those who would like to practice their English.
---
Pre-read observation:
A Thai author getting an international book deal is my one true favorite vibe.
September 15, 2023
✨𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷✨
December 21, 2023
Well, I tried so hard to like this book. I really want to love this book, until it disappointed me :/
This book about a family saga involves the hidden special power of time travel sent from generation to generation throughout about 3 gens while the character comes from about 5 gens. — Isn’t this something very intriguing? When one can travel back in time. Well, after I have read this, this book is not for me.
It started when Joshua and Lily and their twin, Tommy and Eva, travel back in time to see Bruce Lee and after that, the book keeps going back and forth which I find it significantly confusing. It doesn’t shift between the 2 periods of time but more of jumping around from 1987 to 2003 to 1950 to 1989, so on and so forth — well, what do you expect in the time travel book though.
Character-wise, I dislike them all. They are not lovable or understandable. The way the story narrate hasn’t really shown any details of the character and I felt no connection at all with any of them. It only comes with annoyance and irritation towards their life decisions. They are so bland and flat, with no development. While they are supposed to be grieving about the loss of their family member, instead of empathy, I feel indifferent and wish it will be over soon.
The plot is just meh :/ No focus point found, the characters keep travelling back in time, and then what? Nothing’s clear here, not even the reason behind the Experiment of Lily and Joshua — I wish there was something written out about their reason and where did they go? Hell no, I understand nothing, not even when I finish the book. Everything here is so subtle, too subtle.
Though I couldn’t refuse that it was beautifully written — meanwhile it comes with a huge question mark asking about WHY it has to be those indents and poetic-like paragraphs? It was, again, significantly annoying. I tried (again, I swear I try hard) to find the connection if those poetic-like paragraphs have something to do with the past that the characters visited? Hell no, I find nothing, so just live with it.
Well, to be fair, the book was quite easy to read. The language is easy to digest. But sorry I didn’t like the book. Though I’ll give it a go when the Netflix series comes out and see if I will like it or if it will make me like the book more. Not sure if I’ll do.
----------------
มันยากที่จะเขียนรีวิวออกมามาก ๆ สำหรับเล่มนี้ ขอใส่ disclaimer ไว้ก่อนว่ารสนิยมทางการอ่าน ความชอบต่าง ๆ ของคนเรานั้นแตกต่างกัน เพราะฉะนั้นแล้ว การที่เราไม่ชอบเล่มนี้ไม่ได้หมายความว่าทุกคนจะต้องไม่ชอบด้วย เป็นเพียงความเห็นของเราเท่านั้น
เกริ่นมาขนาดนี้ก็น่าจะรู้แล้วว่าไม่ชอบ — เล่มนี้เป็นหนังสือที่เราวาง expectation ไว้สูงลิ่วและอยากอ่านมาก เพราะเป็นหนังสือที่เขียนโดยนักเขียนไทยที่ถูกตีพิมพ์ internationally เราก็เลยเลือกเล่มนี้มาอ่านกับเพื่อน ๆ เมืองหมี
หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องราวของครอบครัวหนึ่งประกอบไปด้วยพ่อแม่ (Joshua & Lily) และลูกแฝดชายหญิง 1 คู่ (Tommy & Eva) ที่มีความสามารถพิเศษในการเดินทางย้อนอดีตที่ส่งต่อกันมารุ่นสู่รุ่น ประมาณ 3 เจน ในการเดินทางไปในอดีต แต่ละคนในครอบครัวต่างมีคอนดิชั่นในการย้อนอดีตที่ต่างกัน บางคนย้อนได้แค่ช่วงเวลาหนึ่งเท่านั้น บางคนย้อนได้แค่ในลอนดอนเท่านั้น อะไรประมาณนี้
เรื่องราวเริ่มแรกคือสมาชิกทั้ง 4 คน เดินทางย้อนเวลาไปเจอ Bruce Lee หลังจากนั้นเรื่องราวก็ย้อนกลับไปกลับมาระหว่างอดีตและปัจจุบัน ประเด็นคืออดีตนั้นไม่ได้มีแค่ช่วงเวลาเดียว มันถูกย้อนกลับไปมาจนมั่วไปหมด คนอ่านตามไม่ทัน จากปี 1987 > 2003 > 1950 > 1989 วนไปวนมาแบบนี้ นั่นเป็นเพราะสมาชิกแต่ละคนย้อนอดีตได้ไม่เหมือนกัน ทำให้ในแต่ละครั้งที่ตัวละครตัวใดตัวหนึ่งย้อนอดีต ก็จะมีเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นแตกต่างกันไป แค่เขียนรีวิวก็งงแล้ว ตอนอ่านงงกว่า
ในแง่ของตัวละคร เราไม่ชอบสักตัว ตัวละครแบนมาก นอกจากสมาชิก 4 คนในครอบครัวแล้ว ก็ยังมีสมาชิกคนอื่น ๆ ในอดีต รวมไปถึง sidekicks อื่น ๆ ที่รวม ๆ แล้วไม่น่าสนใจสักตัว แบนราบ ไม่มีการพัฒนาตัวละครอะไรทั้งสิ้น เราไม่เกิดความผูกพันกับตัวละครตัวไหนเลย ในหัวตอนอ่านมีแต่ความสงสัยและหงุดหงิดอยู่ในใจว่าทำไมเรื่องถึงดำเนินมาแบบนี้ อะไรทำให้ตัวละครตัดสินใจแบบนี้ ซึ่งมันแอบน่ารำคาญอยู่สักหน่อย (ก็ไม่หน่อย)
ทั้ง ๆ ที่ในเรื่องนั้นเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับการสูญเสีย แต่เรากลับไม่รู้สึกถึงความเชื่อมโยงหรือผูกพันกับตัวละครเลยสักนิด เราไม่รู้สึกด้วยซ้ำว่าตัวละครนั้นเสียใจต่อเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น ไม่มีความรู้สึกร่วมใด ๆ
ไหนดูซิ ตัวละครไม่น่าสนใจ แล้วพล็อตล่ะ? ในส่วนของพล็อตก็ไม่ได้อีกสำหรับเรา คือถ้าการที่ทุกคนย้อนเวลาไปในอดีตแล้วกระทำการอะไรสักอย่าง จนเกิดจุดโฟกัสที่น่าสนใจ อันนั้นจะพลิกโผ แต่ว่านี่มันไม่มี focus point อะไรที่ชัดเจนเลย เราไม่เข้าใจว่าพวกเค้าย้อนอดีตไปทำไม ย้อนไปเจอคนเหล่านั้นแล้วได้อะไร การกระทำที่พวกเค้าทำนั้นทำไปทำไม เหตุผลคืออะไร การทดลองของตัวละครนั้น ๆ มีเหตุผลอะไร และผลลัพธ์มันคืออะไร เนื้อเรื่องไม่สามารถให้คำตอบกับเราได้เลยสักคำถามเดียว
ตัวละครไม่ได้ พล็อตไม่ได้ มาดูในเรื่องของภาษา — ภาษาดีมาก ขออวย ใช้ภาษาสวย ปฏิเสธไม่ได้ว่าเขียนเก่ง /แต่… มีแต่อีกละ แต่ว่ามีจุดหนึ่งที่เรารู้สึกรำคาญคือการเว้นบรรทัด การจัดหน้า จัดย่อหน้า — ลักษณะของการจัดย่อหน้าคือเขียนไม่เต็มบรรทัด และเริ่มบรรทัดใหม่ ทำให้รู้สึกเหมือนบทกวี แต่ไม่ใช่ บางบทก็เป็นแบบนั้น บางบทก็ไม่เป็น มีการจัดหน้าแบบงง ๆ เต็มไปหมด เราพยายามที่จะหา connection ระหว่างการจัดหน้าและการดำเนินเรื่องที่ในแต่ละบทจะพูดถึงตัวละครที่แตกต่างกันออกไป แต่หาไม่เจอ ไม่มีจุดเชื่อมโยงอะไรทั้งสิ้น
ในส่วนของการดำเนินเรื่องเป็นไปอย่างช้าเนิบ ด้วยความที่พอมันเป็นพล็อตเรื่องย้อนอดีต มันก็เลยจะมีกลิ่นอายของความเก่าทั้งใน setting และตัวละคร ในขณะที่อ่านเรารู้สึกเหมือนกำลังยืนอยู่ใต้เสาไฟฟ้าที่เป็นเพียงแสงสว่างเดียวในค่ำคืนที่มืดสลัว มีฝนตกเป็นละออง เป็นความเศร้าที่เงียบงันและเดียวดาย
พอพูดว่าภาษาสวย อาจจะทำให้รู้สึกว่าต้องอ่านยากแน่ ๆ แต่เปล่าเลย เราว่าภาษานั้นอ่านค่อนข้างง่าย ไม่ซับซ้อน ใครที่อยากอ่า��เล่มนี้แต่ไม่เก่งภาษาอังกฤษก็อ่านได้ เราว่าไม่ยากเกินไป
to conclude: สรุปได้ว่า ไม่ชอบ ทั้งตัวละคร พล็อต และการจัดหน้า มีเรื่องภาษาที่ต้องยอมรับว่าเขียนดี
บอกตรง ๆ ว่าเราแอบผิดหวังที่เราไม่ชอบ เพราะพอเป็นนักเขียนไทยที่ได้ตีพิมพ์ internationally แน่นอนว่าเราอยากสนับสนุนผลงานอยู่แล้ว แต่พอเอาเข้าจริงมันก็ไม่ได้ promising ขนาดนั้น ไม่ว่านักเขียนคนไหน เราก็สามารถที่จะชอบและไม่ชอบผลงานเค้าได้หมด ไม่ได้หมายความว่าเค้าไม่ดี แต่ผลงานของนักเขียนคนนั้น ๆ อาจจะไม่ใช่สไตล์ที่ถูกใจเรามากกว่า เพราะฉะนั้นแล้ว อย่างที่เราเคลมไปคือ รีวิวนี้เป็นเพียงหนึ่งใน honest review ของเรา ถ้าใครอยากอ่าน เอารีวิวนี้ของเราเป็นแค่หนึ่งในรีวิวที่คุณจะ consider ว่าจะอ่านหรือไม่อ่านก็พอ อย่าเอามันเป็นตัวตัดสิน ไม่อย่างนั้นคุณอาจจะพลาดหนังสือที่อาจจะเป็นหนังสือที่ดีที่สุดที่คุณเคยอ่านมาเลยก็ได้
เพิ่มอีกหน่อยค่ะ เล่มนี้กำลังจะถูก adapt มาเป็นซีรี่ส์ฉายทาง Netflix ไม่แน่ใจว่ากำหนดฉายเมื่อไร แต่เราดูแน่นอน อยากรู้ว่าพอนำมาทำเป็นซีรี่ส์นั้นจะออกมาเป็นอย่างไร แต่ได้แต่หวังว่าถ้า adaptation ออกมาดี อาจจะทำให้เรารู้สึกชอบหนังสือมากขึ้น
This book about a family saga involves the hidden special power of time travel sent from generation to generation throughout about 3 gens while the character comes from about 5 gens. — Isn’t this something very intriguing? When one can travel back in time. Well, after I have read this, this book is not for me.
It started when Joshua and Lily and their twin, Tommy and Eva, travel back in time to see Bruce Lee and after that, the book keeps going back and forth which I find it significantly confusing. It doesn’t shift between the 2 periods of time but more of jumping around from 1987 to 2003 to 1950 to 1989, so on and so forth — well, what do you expect in the time travel book though.
Character-wise, I dislike them all. They are not lovable or understandable. The way the story narrate hasn’t really shown any details of the character and I felt no connection at all with any of them. It only comes with annoyance and irritation towards their life decisions. They are so bland and flat, with no development. While they are supposed to be grieving about the loss of their family member, instead of empathy, I feel indifferent and wish it will be over soon.
The plot is just meh :/ No focus point found, the characters keep travelling back in time, and then what? Nothing’s clear here, not even the reason behind the Experiment of Lily and Joshua — I wish there was something written out about their reason and where did they go? Hell no, I understand nothing, not even when I finish the book. Everything here is so subtle, too subtle.
Though I couldn’t refuse that it was beautifully written — meanwhile it comes with a huge question mark asking about WHY it has to be those indents and poetic-like paragraphs? It was, again, significantly annoying. I tried (again, I swear I try hard) to find the connection if those poetic-like paragraphs have something to do with the past that the characters visited? Hell no, I find nothing, so just live with it.
Well, to be fair, the book was quite easy to read. The language is easy to digest. But sorry I didn’t like the book. Though I’ll give it a go when the Netflix series comes out and see if I will like it or if it will make me like the book more. Not sure if I’ll do.
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มันยากที่จะเขียนรีวิวออกมามาก ๆ สำหรับเล่มนี้ ขอใส่ disclaimer ไว้ก่อนว่ารสนิยมทางการอ่าน ความชอบต่าง ๆ ของคนเรานั้นแตกต่างกัน เพราะฉะนั้นแล้ว การที่เราไม่ชอบเล่มนี้ไม่ได้หมายความว่าทุกคนจะต้องไม่ชอบด้วย เป็นเพียงความเห็นของเราเท่านั้น
เกริ่นมาขนาดนี้ก็น่าจะรู้แล้วว่าไม่ชอบ — เล่มนี้เป็นหนังสือที่เราวาง expectation ไว้สูงลิ่วและอยากอ่านมาก เพราะเป็นหนังสือที่เขียนโดยนักเขียนไทยที่ถูกตีพิมพ์ internationally เราก็เลยเลือกเล่มนี้มาอ่านกับเพื่อน ๆ เมืองหมี
หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเรื่องราวของครอบครัวหนึ่งประกอบไปด้วยพ่อแม่ (Joshua & Lily) และลูกแฝดชายหญิง 1 คู่ (Tommy & Eva) ที่มีความสามารถพิเศษในการเดินทางย้อนอดีตที่ส่งต่อกันมารุ่นสู่รุ่น ประมาณ 3 เจน ในการเดินทางไปในอดีต แต่ละคนในครอบครัวต่างมีคอนดิชั่นในการย้อนอดีตที่ต่างกัน บางคนย้อนได้แค่ช่วงเวลาหนึ่งเท่านั้น บางคนย้อนได้แค่ในลอนดอนเท่านั้น อะไรประมาณนี้
เรื่องราวเริ่มแรกคือสมาชิกทั้ง 4 คน เดินทางย้อนเวลาไปเจอ Bruce Lee หลังจากนั้นเรื่องราวก็ย้อนกลับไปกลับมาระหว่างอดีตและปัจจุบัน ประเด็นคืออดีตนั้นไม่ได้มีแค่ช่วงเวลาเดียว มันถูกย้อนกลับไปมาจนมั่วไปหมด คนอ่านตามไม่ทัน จากปี 1987 > 2003 > 1950 > 1989 วนไปวนมาแบบนี้ นั่นเป็นเพราะสมาชิกแต่ละคนย้อนอดีตได้ไม่เหมือนกัน ทำให้ในแต่ละครั้งที่ตัวละครตัวใดตัวหนึ่งย้อนอดีต ก็จะมีเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นแตกต่างกันไป แค่เขียนรีวิวก็งงแล้ว ตอนอ่านงงกว่า
ในแง่ของตัวละคร เราไม่ชอบสักตัว ตัวละครแบนมาก นอกจากสมาชิก 4 คนในครอบครัวแล้ว ก็ยังมีสมาชิกคนอื่น ๆ ในอดีต รวมไปถึง sidekicks อื่น ๆ ที่รวม ๆ แล้วไม่น่าสนใจสักตัว แบนราบ ไม่มีการพัฒนาตัวละครอะไรทั้งสิ้น เราไม่เกิดความผูกพันกับตัวละครตัวไหนเลย ในหัวตอนอ่านมีแต่ความสงสัยและหงุดหงิดอยู่ในใจว่าทำไมเรื่องถึงดำเนินมาแบบนี้ อะไรทำให้ตัวละครตัดสินใจแบบนี้ ซึ่งมันแอบน่ารำคาญอยู่สักหน่อย (ก็ไม่หน่อย)
ทั้ง ๆ ที่ในเรื่องนั้นเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับการสูญเสีย แต่เรากลับไม่รู้สึกถึงความเชื่อมโยงหรือผูกพันกับตัวละครเลยสักนิด เราไม่รู้สึกด้วยซ้ำว่าตัวละครนั้นเสียใจต่อเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้น ไม่มีความรู้สึกร่วมใด ๆ
ไหนดูซิ ตัวละครไม่น่าสนใจ แล้วพล็อตล่ะ? ในส่วนของพล็อตก็ไม่ได้อีกสำหรับเรา คือถ้าการที่ทุกคนย้อนเวลาไปในอดีตแล้วกระทำการอะไรสักอย่าง จนเกิดจุดโฟกัสที่น่าสนใจ อันนั้นจะพลิกโผ แต่ว่านี่มันไม่มี focus point อะไรที่ชัดเจนเลย เราไม่เข้าใจว่าพวกเค้าย้อนอดีตไปทำไม ย้อนไปเจอคนเหล่านั้นแล้วได้อะไร การกระทำที่พวกเค้าทำนั้นทำไปทำไม เหตุผลคืออะไร การทดลองของตัวละครนั้น ๆ มีเหตุผลอะไร และผลลัพธ์มันคืออะไร เนื้อเรื่องไม่สามารถให้คำตอบกับเราได้เลยสักคำถามเดียว
ตัวละครไม่ได้ พล็อตไม่ได้ มาดูในเรื่องของภาษา — ภาษาดีมาก ขออวย ใช้ภาษาสวย ปฏิเสธไม่ได้ว่าเขียนเก่ง /แต่… มีแต่อีกละ แต่ว่ามีจุดหนึ่งที่เรารู้สึกรำคาญคือการเว้นบรรทัด การจัดหน้า จัดย่อหน้า — ลักษณะของการจัดย่อหน้าคือเขียนไม่เต็มบรรทัด และเริ่มบรรทัดใหม่ ทำให้รู้สึกเหมือนบทกวี แต่ไม่ใช่ บางบทก็เป็นแบบนั้น บางบทก็ไม่เป็น มีการจัดหน้าแบบงง ๆ เต็มไปหมด เราพยายามที่จะหา connection ระหว่างการจัดหน้าและการดำเนินเรื่องที่ในแต่ละบทจะพูดถึงตัวละครที่แตกต่างกันออกไป แต่หาไม่เจอ ไม่มีจุดเชื่อมโยงอะไรทั้งสิ้น
ในส่วนของการดำเนินเรื่องเป็นไปอย่างช้าเนิบ ด้วยความที่พอมันเป็นพล็อตเรื่องย้อนอดีต มันก็เลยจะมีกลิ่นอายของความเก่าทั้งใน setting และตัวละคร ในขณะที่อ่านเรารู้สึกเหมือนกำลังยืนอยู่ใต้เสาไฟฟ้าที่เป็นเพียงแสงสว่างเดียวในค่ำคืนที่มืดสลัว มีฝนตกเป็นละออง เป็นความเศร้าที่เงียบงันและเดียวดาย
พอพูดว่าภาษาสวย อาจจะทำให้รู้สึกว่าต้องอ่านยากแน่ ๆ แต่เปล่าเลย เราว่าภาษานั้นอ่านค่อนข้างง่าย ไม่ซับซ้อน ใครที่อยากอ่า��เล่มนี้แต่ไม่เก่งภาษาอังกฤษก็อ่านได้ เราว่าไม่ยากเกินไป
to conclude: สรุปได้ว่า ไม่ชอบ ทั้งตัวละคร พล็อต และการจัดหน้า มีเรื่องภาษาที่ต้องยอมรับว่าเขียนดี
บอกตรง ๆ ว่าเราแอบผิดหวังที่เราไม่ชอบ เพราะพอเป็นนักเขียนไทยที่ได้ตีพิมพ์ internationally แน่นอนว่าเราอยากสนับสนุนผลงานอยู่แล้ว แต่พอเอาเข้าจริงมันก็ไม่ได้ promising ขนาดนั้น ไม่ว่านักเขียนคนไหน เราก็สามารถที่จะชอบและไม่ชอบผลงานเค้าได้หมด ไม่ได้หมายความว่าเค้าไม่ดี แต่ผลงานของนักเขียนคนนั้น ๆ อาจจะไม่ใช่สไตล์ที่ถูกใจเรามากกว่า เพราะฉะนั้นแล้ว อย่างที่เราเคลมไปคือ รีวิวนี้เป็นเพียงหนึ่งใน honest review ของเรา ถ้าใครอยากอ่าน เอารีวิวนี้ของเราเป็นแค่หนึ่งในรีวิวที่คุณจะ consider ว่าจะอ่านหรือไม่อ่านก็พอ อย่าเอามันเป็นตัวตัดสิน ไม่อย่างนั้นคุณอาจจะพลาดหนังสือที่อาจจะเป็นหนังสือที่ดีที่สุดที่คุณเคยอ่านมาเลยก็ได้
เพิ่มอีกหน่อยค่ะ เล่มนี้กำลังจะถูก adapt มาเป็นซีรี่ส์ฉายทาง Netflix ไม่แน่ใจว่ากำหนดฉายเมื่อไร แต่เราดูแน่นอน อยากรู้ว่าพอนำมาทำเป็นซีรี่ส์นั้นจะออกมาเป็นอย่างไร แต่ได้แต่หวังว่าถ้า adaptation ออกมาดี อาจจะทำให้เรารู้สึกชอบหนังสือมากขึ้น
December 13, 2022
I’m not exaggerating when I say that Pim Wangtechawat’s debut The Moon Represents My Heart read like a poem. Time travel is one of my favourite themes in fiction and Wangtechawat uses it to tell a heartbreaking story of two lovers divided by time and two siblings who must piece together what remains of their family when their time-travelling parents go missing. I adored siblings Tommy and Eva and their parents Lily and Joshua. I also really enjoyed how Wangtechawa weaved together the story of Joshua’s childhood in Hong Kong where his fierce determination to succeed takes him to London where he meets and falls in love with Lily. Out of all the characters I found the young Joshua the most relatable from his steely resolve and ambition, the calm way he handles the class microaggressions in Hong Kong and later the casual racism in London. It was fascinating to see him grow up from a young boy who wants to everything to the stern and exact façade that his son Tommy spends his life trying to crack.
Tommy. I’m going to paraphrase Peggy’s description of him: “Whenever Peggy thought of Tommy, these were the words that came to mind: Beautiful. Funny. Charming. Lonely. Alone. Lost.” Wangtechawa has crafted a character who is frustratingly all of the above and yet still manages to steal my heart anyway. I loved his relationship with Peggy and how it affects his relationship with May. I also loved his friendship with Chris and I appreciate how supportive she was of him while being unafraid to call him out.
The Moon Represents My Heart is dominated by the tragedy of Lily and Joshua’s disappearance and further tragedies that send Tommy spiralling into the past and keeps Eva rooted in the present. I loved seeing how this affected Eva and Tommy’s relationship as they grew apart over the years only to slowly find their way back to one another. The ending was one of the most beautiful and circular endings I’ve ever read and I dare you not to cry once you’ve finished it. Overall, I highly recommend Wangtechawa’s beautiful debut and I can’t wait to read her next book.
Tommy. I’m going to paraphrase Peggy’s description of him: “Whenever Peggy thought of Tommy, these were the words that came to mind: Beautiful. Funny. Charming. Lonely. Alone. Lost.” Wangtechawa has crafted a character who is frustratingly all of the above and yet still manages to steal my heart anyway. I loved his relationship with Peggy and how it affects his relationship with May. I also loved his friendship with Chris and I appreciate how supportive she was of him while being unafraid to call him out.
The Moon Represents My Heart is dominated by the tragedy of Lily and Joshua’s disappearance and further tragedies that send Tommy spiralling into the past and keeps Eva rooted in the present. I loved seeing how this affected Eva and Tommy’s relationship as they grew apart over the years only to slowly find their way back to one another. The ending was one of the most beautiful and circular endings I’ve ever read and I dare you not to cry once you’ve finished it. Overall, I highly recommend Wangtechawa’s beautiful debut and I can’t wait to read her next book.
Want to read
July 6, 2022The Moon Represents My Heart follows the generations of a British-Chinese family of time travellers. When Tommy’s parents time-travel and never return, time stands still. But as everyone begins to move forward, Tommy is stuck in the past which has ramifications for his life in the present. The Moon Represents My Heart is “a story about relationships between parent and child, whether one can accept the choices of the other, and whether they would make the same decision again”.
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July 31, 2023งง อ่านจบแล้วก็ยังงงอยู่ดีว่าทำไมๆๆๆๆๆ ทำไมเป็นแบบนี้ ทำไมทำยังงี้ ทำไมเขียนวรรคแบบนี้ งอง
April 27, 2023
The Moon Represents My Heart follows a British-Chinese family living in London who are hiding a big secret – they have the ability to time travel. When parents, Lily and Joshua, fail to return from a journey into the past, Tommy and Eva are brought up by their strict grandmother, Carol. Struggling with their grief at the loss of their parents, the twins take different approaches to reconcile themselves with it. Eva finds a way to be happy in the present, whilst Tommy increasingly travels into the past, and the choices he makes have serious repercussions for finding happiness in the present.
There is an interesting cast of characters in this novel, and the family relationships and dynamics are well drawn. I loved the Asian family setting and cultural context, and the prose is beautifully descriptive and lyrical, at times breaking into free verse. It is very easy to read as a result, but, at the same time, the shifting strands of time mean that you need to concentrate to work out where in the story you are.
Time travel has always been a fascinating concept for writers, and the subject is explored in an engaging, fascinating and mind-bending way in TMRM, with the story having a satisfying circularity to it. It made me think of novels like The Time Traveller’s Wife and The Immortalists.
The one slight disappointment about it, for me, was that when the end of the novel comes, the central mystery feels a little unresolved: you are able to infer what happened, but there is no firm tying up of that particular thread.
As well as being a story about travelling through time, and the shadow which the past casts on the future, this is a coming-of-age novel, which looks at loss, love, parent/child relationships, family dynamics, and the impact of the choices we make.
It also explores the attitudes of the different generations to cultural traditions and expectations: whether to adhere to them or embrace a more ‘modern’ way of life. Decisions which might perhaps disappoint the older generations.
An interesting debut which I believe is now in production as a Netflix series. Thank you to Oneworld Publications for a Proof in return for an unbiased review.
There is an interesting cast of characters in this novel, and the family relationships and dynamics are well drawn. I loved the Asian family setting and cultural context, and the prose is beautifully descriptive and lyrical, at times breaking into free verse. It is very easy to read as a result, but, at the same time, the shifting strands of time mean that you need to concentrate to work out where in the story you are.
Time travel has always been a fascinating concept for writers, and the subject is explored in an engaging, fascinating and mind-bending way in TMRM, with the story having a satisfying circularity to it. It made me think of novels like The Time Traveller’s Wife and The Immortalists.
The one slight disappointment about it, for me, was that when the end of the novel comes, the central mystery feels a little unresolved: you are able to infer what happened, but there is no firm tying up of that particular thread.
As well as being a story about travelling through time, and the shadow which the past casts on the future, this is a coming-of-age novel, which looks at loss, love, parent/child relationships, family dynamics, and the impact of the choices we make.
It also explores the attitudes of the different generations to cultural traditions and expectations: whether to adhere to them or embrace a more ‘modern’ way of life. Decisions which might perhaps disappoint the older generations.
An interesting debut which I believe is now in production as a Netflix series. Thank you to Oneworld Publications for a Proof in return for an unbiased review.
dnf
July 9, 2023Did not finish book. Stopped at 41%.
Not invested enough in the characters' fates, especially Thomas. Interesting premise though.
Got snippets of Teresa Teng's songs stuck in my head as a side effect.
Not invested enough in the characters' fates, especially Thomas. Interesting premise though.
Got snippets of Teresa Teng's songs stuck in my head as a side effect.
July 16, 2023
Boring and sappy. 1.5 rounded down because I will 100% not remember the story in three days.
Time traveling is not really my thing but I was a bit confused as to why it was even added to this story. It was mostly mundane and I think it could have been replaced with something else (idk, people traveling). The book blurb is basically the first 10 pages and then it just becomes this long thing following irrational people doing mundane things and, again, it’s just very sappy and very much about feelings and family and water-down drama. The only interesting bit was in the last pages when the parents ‘discovered’ something but we really never get to know anything out of that so yeah, bye.
Time traveling is not really my thing but I was a bit confused as to why it was even added to this story. It was mostly mundane and I think it could have been replaced with something else (idk, people traveling). The book blurb is basically the first 10 pages and then it just becomes this long thing following irrational people doing mundane things and, again, it’s just very sappy and very much about feelings and family and water-down drama. The only interesting bit was in the last pages when the parents ‘discovered’ something but we really never get to know anything out of that so yeah, bye.
September 8, 2023
Emotionally sweet but confusing time travel.
August 29, 2024
อ่านจบแล้ว ประทับใจมากเลย แนวTime travelling ครอบครัวฮ่องกง-อังกฤษที่มู้ดโทนเศร้าเหงาแบบหนังหว่องกาไว ชอบคำพรรณาความรู้สึกของตัวละคร แล้วยิ่งครอบครัวบ้านคนจีนเราเลยอ่านแล้วอิน มีรายละเอียดของสถานที่ต่างๆทั้งในฮ่องกงและลอนดอน ทำให้เราอ่านและอิน ถึงไทม์ไลน์จะเล่าตัดสลับไปมาแบบไม่เรียง แต่มีแผนผังครอบครัว และหัวข้อชื่อตัวละครและปี เลยทำให้อ่านไม่สับสน
จุดที่ไม่ชอบ ขัดใจกับการกระทำของตัวละครหนึ่ง อ่านแล้วอยากหยุมหัวคนนี้มากๆเลย และตอนจบ เอิ่ม...ให้คนอ่านคิดเอาเอง 😓 เราไม่ชอบจบแบบนี้เลย
ดีใจมากที่จะมีสร้างเป็นซีรีย์รอติดตามเลย แล้วยิ่งภูมิใจว่าคุณพิมผู้เขียนเป็นคนไทยด้วย ช่วยกันอุดหนุนซื้อมาอ่านกันเยอะๆน้า
"ไม่เป็นไรหรอกนะ เธอบอกตัวเอง ความเศร้านี้จะเบาบางลงในที่สุด เธอยังคงมีชีวิต เธอมีอิสระ ชีวิตคือสิ่งแปลกใหม่"
จุดที่ไม่ชอบ ขัดใจกับการกระทำของตัวละครหนึ่ง อ่านแล้วอยากหยุมหัวคนนี้มากๆเลย และตอนจบ เอิ่ม...ให้คนอ่านคิดเอาเอง 😓 เราไม่ชอบจบแบบนี้เลย
ดีใจมากที่จะมีสร้างเป็นซีรีย์รอติดตามเลย แล้วยิ่งภูมิใจว่าคุณพิมผู้เขียนเป็นคนไทยด้วย ช่วยกันอุดหนุนซื้อมาอ่านกันเยอะๆน้า
"ไม่เป็นไรหรอกนะ เธอบอกตัวเอง ความเศร้านี้จะเบาบางลงในที่สุด เธอยังคงมีชีวิต เธอมีอิสระ ชีวิตคือสิ่งแปลกใหม่"
July 5, 2023
"The Moon Represents My Heart" by Pim Wangtechawat is a blend of historical & contemporary fiction with a dash of magical realism centering around the Wang family. The Wang family's unconventionality lies in the fact that they can travel through time, though this ability manifests differently between each member of the family. Joshua & Lily brought their children, Tommy and Eva, on their travels through time without incident until the unthinkable happened: Joshua and Lily disappeared one day without a trace during one of their time travel adventures. With their parents gone, Tommy and Eva are forced to grapple with the loss, where their paths diverged emotionally and literally as they struggle to cope in different ways with their loss through traveling between the alternating timelines they keep returning to.
While time travel is one of the main elements of the story, this is a story that portrays grief and loss in an unconventional narrative. The writing is lyrical and almost whimsical in part, and it flows beautifully which makes it for an easy read. The story's focus on each of the Wang family member's inner struggles worked well in showing how different and yet how similar they are in the ways they cope with their difficulties. I have a soft spot for Eva and Joshua personally, though each of the characters have their own demons to face and their own ways of resolving the burdens of their inheritance. The family dynamics and the character exploration aspects of this novel reminded me somewhat of Celeste Ng’s “Everything I Never Told You”, which also happens to also be one of my favorite books.
“The Moon Represents My Heart” brings up themes of isolation and loneliness due to an assortment of reasons, be they due to race or due to a person’s inability to confront the reason for their failures, and it’s one that is sure to resonate with readers. This is one of those quiet, contemplative gems that makes you feel something, and definitely one of the strongest debut for this year.
Thank you to @times.reads for the review copy! All opinions are my own.
November 15, 2023
- how do you write a TIME TRAVEL book where NOTHING HAPPENS??
- mostly this just felt very meandering and from about halfway through i suspected all these wandering plot lines would not come together in a satisfying way and i was correct. this book doesn’t seem to have any POINT
- so many plot lines that just didn’t go anywhere and weren’t explored deeply enough to be worth considering at all
- i don’t even need the time travel mechanism to have a proper explanation but i need it to be used interestingly?? so many missed opportunities for juicy character interactions. the only really good one was in the very last chapter and even that was unsatisfying
- very boring one dimensional characters to be honest. they seemed to only have one defining character trait each. like do we know anything about eva other than that she paints?
- the rupi kaur writing style was incredibly annoying and unnecessary, it didn’t add anything to the story
- the positives of this novel were that it didn’t do anything particularly heinous and was mildly entertaining
- mostly this just felt very meandering and from about halfway through i suspected all these wandering plot lines would not come together in a satisfying way and i was correct. this book doesn’t seem to have any POINT
- so many plot lines that just didn’t go anywhere and weren’t explored deeply enough to be worth considering at all
- i don’t even need the time travel mechanism to have a proper explanation but i need it to be used interestingly?? so many missed opportunities for juicy character interactions. the only really good one was in the very last chapter and even that was unsatisfying
- very boring one dimensional characters to be honest. they seemed to only have one defining character trait each. like do we know anything about eva other than that she paints?
- the rupi kaur writing style was incredibly annoying and unnecessary, it didn’t add anything to the story
- the positives of this novel were that it didn’t do anything particularly heinous and was mildly entertaining
March 30, 2024
The Moon Represents My Heart is based on a Cantonese/British family that has the ability to time travel (each with specific time traveling capabilities). And, the title of the book is OF COURSE inspired by Teresa Teng’s 1977 song.
I wanted to like this book so badly!! But there are sooo many holes in the plot (but also, what even is the plot???). The timeline from past to present was executed poorly, I found myself feeling confused/lost too often. The prose is very lyrical and pretty.
Ok - I know the next point I’m about to comment on does not affect the plot at all but it bothered me so so much throughout the whole book. A good chunk of the book is based in Hong Kong and it mentions that Joshua speaks Cantonese, HOWEVER, there is ZERO representation of the Cantonese language. This truly bothered me more than I like to admit. What added to this frustration was the Mandarin quotes that were sprinkled in-between the chapters 😭 (at least the audiobook was read in Mandarin opposed to Cantonese).
I am definitely curious on how the Netflix adaptation will turn out!
I wanted to like this book so badly!! But there are sooo many holes in the plot (but also, what even is the plot???). The timeline from past to present was executed poorly, I found myself feeling confused/lost too often. The prose is very lyrical and pretty.
Ok - I know the next point I’m about to comment on does not affect the plot at all but it bothered me so so much throughout the whole book. A good chunk of the book is based in Hong Kong and it mentions that Joshua speaks Cantonese, HOWEVER, there is ZERO representation of the Cantonese language. This truly bothered me more than I like to admit. What added to this frustration was the Mandarin quotes that were sprinkled in-between the chapters 😭 (at least the audiobook was read in Mandarin opposed to Cantonese).
I am definitely curious on how the Netflix adaptation will turn out!
May 27, 2023
This was a beautiful read that will stick with me for a long time. It focuses on family, grief, closure, and above all, hope. There were a few moments that I found my heart stuck in my throat but that damn ending had me in tears. I can’t believe this is a debut, there’s just no way with this beautiful writing, but this is definitely an author to watch. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to OneWorld Publications for sending me a proof of this gorgeous book.
Thank you to OneWorld Publications for sending me a proof of this gorgeous book.
May 3, 2023
Read this in two sittings. Poetry in motion.
August 14, 2024
Pim Wangtechawat's prose is awe-inspiring. Throughout I was stopping to take the sentences in, to seep into the beautiful images that she creates and delight in the emotions she expresses.
This is a family epic, a time travel story, and one that is deeply heart-wrenching with an intense tone of grief. Joshua and Lily, in their 30s, travel through time with their twins, Tommy and Eva, aged 12. They each possess this ability, but each with their unique quirk. Joshua can only travel to Hong Kong, Lily only in England, Tommy only between 1900 and 1950 and Eva only where she has a family member. Joshua would like to extend his skillset, and as such pushes himself and Lily to try to get further past than 1900, which is a constraint for all of them, as well as to other parts of the world. But following one such experiment Joshua and Lily disappear.
The chapters alternate between different characters at different moments in time. We come to understand how Joshua and Lily met and their challenges through life, for example Joshua emigrating from Hong Kong, where he lived in the Kowloon Walled City (an architectural feat I've always been fascinated by for its insane density) and meeting racism in the UK, or Lily facind disapproval from her family because of Joshua's financial prospects. After losing them, Tommy becomes even more closed within himself, living more deeply in the past that he travels to than the present he is anchored to. And Eva seeks to form more intimate bonds with her remaining family, while being given access to exclusive moments through her abilities.
The feelings explored here read incredibly personal, and often offer a different perspective on an experience I may have already had, for example:
'He never says, or even considers, the word "love".
To him, the word is
too crass, too crude,
too inadequate
for all she means to him.'
And I understand perfectly what the author intends to say with this, when our vocabulary just isn't enough for how overwhelmed our senses get. This was told so gracefully, so charmingly and yet so clearly and to the point.
By the way, some of the book is formatted in prose, some in poetry. It didn't change my impression of the text I was reading, and the verses didn't seem forced to fit a certain style.
I really appreciated the writing style, the time travel mechanism and how much was told yet how little, as well as the historical context that navigates England and Hong Kong. The characters were developing throughout, learning more about their universe, their possibilities and thereby themselves. I got frustrated on occasion when they made life difficult for themselves, and I was beaming when they encountered happiness.
This read very original to me with the themes it brought together, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.
This is a family epic, a time travel story, and one that is deeply heart-wrenching with an intense tone of grief. Joshua and Lily, in their 30s, travel through time with their twins, Tommy and Eva, aged 12. They each possess this ability, but each with their unique quirk. Joshua can only travel to Hong Kong, Lily only in England, Tommy only between 1900 and 1950 and Eva only where she has a family member. Joshua would like to extend his skillset, and as such pushes himself and Lily to try to get further past than 1900, which is a constraint for all of them, as well as to other parts of the world. But following one such experiment Joshua and Lily disappear.
The chapters alternate between different characters at different moments in time. We come to understand how Joshua and Lily met and their challenges through life, for example Joshua emigrating from Hong Kong, where he lived in the Kowloon Walled City (an architectural feat I've always been fascinated by for its insane density) and meeting racism in the UK, or Lily facind disapproval from her family because of Joshua's financial prospects. After losing them, Tommy becomes even more closed within himself, living more deeply in the past that he travels to than the present he is anchored to. And Eva seeks to form more intimate bonds with her remaining family, while being given access to exclusive moments through her abilities.
The feelings explored here read incredibly personal, and often offer a different perspective on an experience I may have already had, for example:
'He never says, or even considers, the word "love".
To him, the word is
too crass, too crude,
too inadequate
for all she means to him.'
And I understand perfectly what the author intends to say with this, when our vocabulary just isn't enough for how overwhelmed our senses get. This was told so gracefully, so charmingly and yet so clearly and to the point.
By the way, some of the book is formatted in prose, some in poetry. It didn't change my impression of the text I was reading, and the verses didn't seem forced to fit a certain style.
I really appreciated the writing style, the time travel mechanism and how much was told yet how little, as well as the historical context that navigates England and Hong Kong. The characters were developing throughout, learning more about their universe, their possibilities and thereby themselves. I got frustrated on occasion when they made life difficult for themselves, and I was beaming when they encountered happiness.
This read very original to me with the themes it brought together, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.
September 17, 2024
i feel like this is a book you definitely shouldn't read in under a week in a blind panic because you forgot you had to read it for your course BUT i enjoyed it immensely as rushed as it was so i bet it's even better when you can actually take it all in properly
July 28, 2023
*2.5/5
September 18, 2023
I don't fully have words for what this book did to me. I initially picked up an ARC a few months back and wasn't able to get into it but omg! This author can write. Such a cleverly woven story and so emotionally charged and meaningful.
This is such a stellar debut on so many levels. I love it's exploration of time and love and family and grief even. Just honestly in awe.
This is such a stellar debut on so many levels. I love it's exploration of time and love and family and grief even. Just honestly in awe.
September 24, 2023
A beautiful tale exploring Asian diaspora, love and grief.
Longer review to come!
Longer review to come!
July 23, 2023
The Moon Represents My Heart is so much more than a time-travel fantasy!
The writing is poetry in motion; lyrical and evocative.
The story gives us a complex family, character depth, and a beautiful love story.
While we flit back and forth in time with characters chasing answers and adventure, we have a subtle undercurrent reminding us of the importance of living in the present.
This is a powerful, poignant, and memorable read.
*I received a free copy from Blackstone Publishing.*
The writing is poetry in motion; lyrical and evocative.
The story gives us a complex family, character depth, and a beautiful love story.
While we flit back and forth in time with characters chasing answers and adventure, we have a subtle undercurrent reminding us of the importance of living in the present.
This is a powerful, poignant, and memorable read.
*I received a free copy from Blackstone Publishing.*
July 12, 2024
Couple of caveats before I start this review: if you are looking for a love story, this book is not for you. If you do not like switching narratives, this book is not for you. If you do not like poetry, this book is not for you.
But if you DO like all those things, this may be the best book you read all year. I feel the blurb of this book is a bit misleading, this book isn’t really a love story. It’s about grief and obsession and obsessive love, this book does not portray healthy relationships at all.
One of the reviews I read before reading the novel criticised the book for being “melancholy”. I think this is due to the book being partly written in poetry, this is by nature a more reflective writing style and given an event at the beginning of the book, which is about grief, naturally the reflection becomes more melancholy.
The book starts with Joshua and Lily who discover they can time travel. And so can their children, Eva and Tommy. All the characters in this book are flawed, and I think that’s the genius of it. Human experience is flawed, none of us are perfect. We all have issues from our past we are dealing with and I think maybe that’s why I connected with it. The human experience the author is portray felt real, even in a magical realism book. Connected to this is the theme of obsession, I noticed this came up again and again and never brought the characters happiness, and if anything ruined the relationships around them and with other characters. Even May, who is portrayed as sweet and devoted, cannot escape this.
The writing from the author was just stunning. Really beautiful and poetic. The story switches between prose and poetry and different perspectives throughout the book. Which brings me to another point, if you don’t like changing points of view and time and the stories crossing over, don’t read this book. It reminded by a lot of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern in the way the author weaves all the stories and times and brings it all together in the last chapter. Genius. Absolute genius and I was sobbing by the end when you connect it to early items in the book.
Another element to the book is the experience of immigration and racism by the main characters, particularly when they move to Britain. This felt truly reflective of how chinese people were treated (and to be honest are still treated, thinking of what happened in 2020 with covid) in the 70s and 80s and I’m really glad it was included in the novel. As some of the characters move countries and the novel switches between London and Hong-Kong. As there’s time travel, it does cover aspects of both London and Hong-Kong history. This is something I enjoyed reading about and made me want to learn more about the history of Hong-Kong, this is not something I know much about at all.
I think if you picked this up expecting a bog standard fantasy novel (or a love story) you would be disappointed because it’s none of that. It’s a lot more, the writing style is very different and in my opinion, stunning. I loved this book and I think it’s one of the best novels I’ve read this year. To put this in to context, I finished this book yesterday and I am still thinking about it. I expect I will be thinking about it for a very long time.
I really look forward to what this author writes in the future!! Can’t believe this is their debut novel, incredible.
But if you DO like all those things, this may be the best book you read all year. I feel the blurb of this book is a bit misleading, this book isn’t really a love story. It’s about grief and obsession and obsessive love, this book does not portray healthy relationships at all.
One of the reviews I read before reading the novel criticised the book for being “melancholy”. I think this is due to the book being partly written in poetry, this is by nature a more reflective writing style and given an event at the beginning of the book, which is about grief, naturally the reflection becomes more melancholy.
The book starts with Joshua and Lily who discover they can time travel. And so can their children, Eva and Tommy. All the characters in this book are flawed, and I think that’s the genius of it. Human experience is flawed, none of us are perfect. We all have issues from our past we are dealing with and I think maybe that’s why I connected with it. The human experience the author is portray felt real, even in a magical realism book. Connected to this is the theme of obsession, I noticed this came up again and again and never brought the characters happiness, and if anything ruined the relationships around them and with other characters. Even May, who is portrayed as sweet and devoted, cannot escape this.
The writing from the author was just stunning. Really beautiful and poetic. The story switches between prose and poetry and different perspectives throughout the book. Which brings me to another point, if you don’t like changing points of view and time and the stories crossing over, don’t read this book. It reminded by a lot of the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern in the way the author weaves all the stories and times and brings it all together in the last chapter. Genius. Absolute genius and I was sobbing by the end when you connect it to early items in the book.
Another element to the book is the experience of immigration and racism by the main characters, particularly when they move to Britain. This felt truly reflective of how chinese people were treated (and to be honest are still treated, thinking of what happened in 2020 with covid) in the 70s and 80s and I’m really glad it was included in the novel. As some of the characters move countries and the novel switches between London and Hong-Kong. As there’s time travel, it does cover aspects of both London and Hong-Kong history. This is something I enjoyed reading about and made me want to learn more about the history of Hong-Kong, this is not something I know much about at all.
I think if you picked this up expecting a bog standard fantasy novel (or a love story) you would be disappointed because it’s none of that. It’s a lot more, the writing style is very different and in my opinion, stunning. I loved this book and I think it’s one of the best novels I’ve read this year. To put this in to context, I finished this book yesterday and I am still thinking about it. I expect I will be thinking about it for a very long time.
I really look forward to what this author writes in the future!! Can’t believe this is their debut novel, incredible.
July 19, 2023
The Wang family have the ability to travel through time. When parents Joshua and Lily travel to the past and never return, Tommy and Eva are left grieving. It explores the bond of this family and the strength it takes to carry on.
I’ve never read a book formatted in this way before. I really enjoyed the book, although at times I was confused especially at the ending. I feel like it flew well from chapter to chapter despite each chapter being a new time period.
I loved the writing style and the writing itself is stunning. However, it rarely has any speech marks, which I did struggle with at times. It talks a lot about love, loss and grief whilst trying to find the strength to carry on when you’ve lost a close loved one and your world has collapsed, which felt incredibly hopeful.
I did have to keep referring back to the family tree as I couldn’t remember who was who and what their relations are.
⚠️ CWs: profanity, racism, death, grief, loss, war, fire, car accident; mentions alcohol and drug use, sex, derogatory language, cancer and cheating ⚠️
I’ve never read a book formatted in this way before. I really enjoyed the book, although at times I was confused especially at the ending. I feel like it flew well from chapter to chapter despite each chapter being a new time period.
I loved the writing style and the writing itself is stunning. However, it rarely has any speech marks, which I did struggle with at times. It talks a lot about love, loss and grief whilst trying to find the strength to carry on when you’ve lost a close loved one and your world has collapsed, which felt incredibly hopeful.
I did have to keep referring back to the family tree as I couldn’t remember who was who and what their relations are.
⚠️ CWs: profanity, racism, death, grief, loss, war, fire, car accident; mentions alcohol and drug use, sex, derogatory language, cancer and cheating ⚠️
March 1, 2025
Honestly, I don't even know how to review this. In one word, it was confusing. I felt like I would've loved it BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING. The timeline is.. what. And the ending of the book is just. WHAT.😭😭😭 Anyways, I had very high hopes for this book and I just feel upset that it turned out badly:( Honestly, I almost DNF-ed this book wait too many times. I have FINALLY finished it but it was SO not worth it
July 11, 2023
A touching family saga quite unlike the ordinary run of the mill with an interesting take on generational differences, the nature of love in its different forms and time travel.
This traces a Chinese family with its roots in Hong Kong and switches between HK and England as its setting. Personally, I found the constant switching between timelines a bit too distracting and the characters quite difficult to get close to, particularly as you are also constantly juggling the switch in time and place. I am sure that some readers will absolutely love this book but personally I’m someone who likes a resolved ending so was a bit disappointed.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This traces a Chinese family with its roots in Hong Kong and switches between HK and England as its setting. Personally, I found the constant switching between timelines a bit too distracting and the characters quite difficult to get close to, particularly as you are also constantly juggling the switch in time and place. I am sure that some readers will absolutely love this book but personally I’m someone who likes a resolved ending so was a bit disappointed.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2024
rounded up to 4 from 3.5 because i really like the way she writes; i do wish some of things were explained further, some things told, the significance of some parts over others but i also don't mind the ambiguity since, you know, that's part of life too. i don't think this book would be for everyone, but i personally enjoyed the story it told me
July 4, 2023
Full disclosure, I only made it 80% but I'm counting it. This was NOT for me. I found it incredibly boring and excessively sappy.
I only kept going for the time travel....but it was not worth the slog.
I only kept going for the time travel....but it was not worth the slog.
March 4, 2024
I appreciate the authors attempt at creatively telling this story with prose and poetic narrative, but I felt like too much was going on and truly struggled to follow the plot.
I picked this up for the time travel love story and put it back because of the way it's told.
I picked this up for the time travel love story and put it back because of the way it's told.
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