Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

If anyone would like to lead the March discussion for FLASHLIGHT by Susan Choi, please let me know. You can respond here or dm me directly. Thank you!

I finished this a few days ago. (view spoiler)[I actually lived on the west coast of Japan at the time they were discovering the extent of the North Korean kidnappings along that coast and getting their citizens back. No one had disappeared from the prefecture I lived in, but I followed the news closely. (hide spoiler)]

Jen,

Amazing to have that kind of connection to this book.

It must have been frightening hearing of these kidnappings.

Have not started reading yet. Have been trying to decide what format to experience the book in.

I just stopped to listen to a sample. It is narrated by Eunice Wong. Her voice seems to add a mysterious feeling to the novel.

The only thing about reading via audio for a book discussion is it is more difficult to take notes.

We will see how that goes...

Jen since you have already read this, can you tell me if it is character heavy (lots of players in the story)?

If that's the case I will revert back to Kindle reading.

Thank you and enjoy all your reading!

Happy March 1st and Happy Women’s History Month, everyone!

How apropos we have selected a female author for this month’s discussion.

I will pick up my copy tomorrow and will have a discussion schedule available after I look at the table of contents - if there’s one.

Cheryl, what percentage of your book reading is physical/ebooks/audio?

Oh my!

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker • Time • New York • The Washington Post • NPR • Los Angeles Times • The Boston Globe • The Guardian • Vanity Fair • Elle • Town & Country • Oprah Daily • The New York Post • 48 Hills • Financial Times • The Economist • Esquire (UK) • Kirkus Reviews • Electric Literature • PEN America • The Chicago Public Library • Los Angeles Review of Books

One of President Obama's Favorite Books of 2025

“EXPLOSIVE.” (The New York Times Book Review) • “GORGEOUS.” (New York) • “SHOCKING.” (NPR) • “DEVASTATING.” (The Washington Post) • “ASTONISHING.” (The Atlantic) • “MARVELOUS.” (NBC’s Weekend Today in New York)

Short-listed for the Booker Prize • Long-listed for the National Book Award • Long-listed for the Andrew Carnegie Medal

A TeaTime and Get Lit Book Club Pick

ColumbusReads wrote: "Oh my!

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker • Time • New York • The Washington Post • NPR • Los Angeles Times • The Boston Globe • The Guardian • Vanity Fair • Elle • Town & Country • Oprah Dai..."

I was not at all aware that this book had so much acclaim. They could’ve stopped at Pres. Obama, The New Yorker & Time and I would’ve been ok.

Columbus

Physical 20%
Ebooks/Kindle 60%
Audiobooks 20%

That's a quick guess!

Cheryl wrote: "Columbus

Physical 20%
Ebooks/Kindle 60%
Audiobooks 20%

That's a quick guess!"

Oh nice. I have a friend who reads a lot and most of her reading are ebooks as well. In fact, I think about 90% for her. Thanks!

Has anyone else started the book? Requested it? Intend to join the discussion?

Jen since you have already read this, can you tell me if it is character heavy (lots of players in the story)?

The way she organizes each section is you're close 3rd person with the character you're following. For about the first half of the book, it's 3 characters, then a 4th one is added. About 85% of the way through, a 5th person is added. I didn't find it hard to follow, but I read a paper copy.

(view spoiler)[I didn't live in Japan while the kidnappings were happening. And for years afterwards, no one knew there had been kidnappings. They thought people had run away or drowned. Even now, I think they only acknowledge 17 people as being officially taken, but it could be hundreds more. I lived there when the press was uncovering some of the victims and the Japanese government was trying to get them back. (hide spoiler)]

Jen,

Thanks so much for letting me know how many characters were in the book. I think I will give it a go with the audio.

Don't know if you ever read James McBride's The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store ( one of my very favorite books by the way) but that would be an example of a book so character heavy I feel it would be difficult to follow without taking proper notes for a discussion.

Thank you for all your additional background information it makes me excited to read this book and know more.

Just curious do you live in the US now?

I did read the Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, but it's not among my favourites, sorry.

I'm not American and don't live there.

Ok, finally picked up my book from the library. The discussion schedule is as follows:

Part 1 Today - March 6th
Part 2 March 7th - March 10th
Part 3 March 11th - March 15th
Part 4 March 16th - March 19th
Part 5 March 20th - March 22nd

Entire book open March 23rd

Hope this works for everyone. Let me know if you have questions. Happy reading!

First of all, any thoughts on the interesting prologue? We get reference to the flashlight (book title) right early on. Little Louisa has a habit of stealing it appears. Has the father been kidnapped or has he drowned? Any thoughts on the writing so far?

By the way, has anyone read Choi’s previous work? Both Trust Exercise and My Education are on my TBR. I’ll likely read one or the other if not both if I like this one.

I loved this book! I read it as an ARC a while ago so I can’t remember each section as outlined but I’m looking forward to following the discussion

Columbus thanks for sharing the accolades.

Every year I check Barrack Obama's list and usually pick out one or two that tickle my fancy. He always has an interesting variety of books. IMO they are books that make you think.

From Obama's list I had already read Cosby's King of Ashes which I found to be his most intense novel yet. He is one of my very favorite authors. I really enjoy his Southern crime noir! My favorite of his is All The Sinners Bleed. I am anxious to see Netflix film adaptation which they are in the process of filming now. I read it will be a 9 episode limited series.

This year I chose to read The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter but I am a bit daunted as it is categorized as Horror Fiction. I have dipped my toes into the horror pool a few times and a few times had to jump back out but I am going to give it a shot.

All that being said I had given Flashlight a hard pass. But that is what is great about book discussions and book clubs... you often find yourself trading a fabulous novel you would have missed out on.

So pleased the group chose this book.

I really veered off the road with comment but I am going to leave it with an apology and a promise to keep the rest of my comments strictly about Flashlight.

Realized this morning I need to stay away from commenting on GR late at night as I tend to ramble and also it looks like the phone exchanged the word trading for reading. Again my apologies it won't happen again. I just get so very excited about talking about books and late night it appears there is no filter.

The Women’s Prize longlist has just been announced and Flashlight has made the list. Several other of our books were on the list as well including, Audition by Katie Kitamura which was in the January poll. And also, Dominion by Addie E. Citchens which is in the current, April poll. Good luck to all nominees!

https://lithub.com/heres-the-longlist...

Ok, I guess I fibbed...said I wouldn't post late at night but here I go.

Only came to say even though I haven't finished the entire week's reading I am truly enjoying the narrator , Eunice Wong. She has a soft yet compelling voice that has pulled me into the mysterious feel of the novel. Still waiting for the connection between the prologue and Chapter One.

Enjoy your reading all!

Cheryl wrote: "Realized this morning I need to stay away from commenting on GR late at night as I tend to ramble and also it looks like the phone exchanged the word trading for reading. Again my apologies it won'..."

the ramble as you call it was fine by me. gave me 2 more books to look into.

ColumbusReads wrote: "The Women’s Prize longlist has just been announced and Flashlight has made the list. Several other of our books were on the list as well including, Audition by Katie Kitamura which was in the Janua..."

thank you for sharing

Ready Set Go...
Flick on the Flashlight and let's chat.

My first question was why we had one protagonist in the prologue and another in Chapter One? Soon I realized the author was setting us up for grownup Louisa.

In the prologue I absolutely enjoyed and appreciated Louisa's meeting with the child psychologist Dr. Brickner. The whip smart young girl absolutely controlled the meeting with the doctor. She totally had the upper hand in the conversation with an adult.

The flashlight is a fabulous symbol in the novel and I believe it may stand for illumination in the story of Serk's disappearance. Will Louisa ever be able to see (recall) what actually happened to her father ? Will she be able to turn the flashlight on by herself to find the answer to how her father died or will she need someone else's help to shed light on the situation?

There are some very intelligent young people in this first section of this novel with enough moxy to stand up for themselves.

It was amazing to watch Seok ( Hiroshi) navigate his own education choices to stay in the Japanese school system so that he might be able to better direct his university opportunities.

Those are just a couple take aways I had from Week 1.

This novel is setting up to be a lot more politically complicated as well with the identity issues Seok must deal with learning he is of Korean descent and not Japanese.

On to listening to Week 2's reading...

Soek's whole childhood and early adulthood in Japan would have been pretty bad, but not as bad as if he'd followed his family to North Korea. Ethnic Koreans were stripped of their Japanese citizenship in 1952 and faced discrimination in housing, education and employment. Some Koreans applied for Korean citizenship, but some chose to remain stateless. Susan Choi doesn't say what Serk's choice was, so it's not even clear how he got to the US.

A recurring theme in Flashlight is how people of mixed races suffer prejudice.

‘I don’t look American.’ All her life she’d been asked what she was, where she came from—in the second-grade Thanksgiving play she’d been cast as the sole Indian. She’d expected the disadvantages of brown hair, brown eyes, and brown skin, all imposed by her father, to be clear advantages here. Wasn’t this where he came from? It must be her mother’s fault.'

It was my contention as our world moved forward that mixed race individuals would not suffer from prejudice but prejudice has not dissolved.

It breaks my heart that this still happens.

My two grandchildren are half Chinese and half Caucasian and I hope for them that they do not experience this type of prejudice. They live in Brooklyn now and I hope they remain there as it seems that NYC and many other extremely large metropolis cities seem to be more accepting of mixed race individuals more so than how these individuals are treated in the heartland.

I agree that mixed races suffer. I read in one of my psychology readings and in a book on white people feelings on people of color that due to the one percent rule that they'll label you as one race verse of mixed with multiple like 4 or more, biracial will class as one not both.

I often feel revisiting and re reading old gems is a better experience, as every time you go back to the book, you read it with sharper deeper understanding, which unravel hidden aspects totally invisible the first time.
do you guys feel the same?