Women in Translation month is important for a multitude of reasons. Being able to access stories from other cultures and traditions allows us to connect with people and learn about the diversity of the world and increase our sympathies and compassion for people who we might not otherwise encounter expect through political narratives. It also…
Month: Aug 2023
Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang
I think Yellowface is more about an overall message than a neat and tidy thriller plot. There are more than a few convenient passages in the book, but these don’t take anything away from the overall story. The writing is both sharp and funny and the pace is fast moving, so much so you don’t want to put to put it down. In fact I can’t remember the last time I devoured a book the way I did this one.
Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens (review with spoilers)
Shankari Chandran explores Australia’s racial tensions in a really clever and interesting way. By juxtaposing them with the ethic tensions in Sri Lanka, also carefully crafted by its colonial overlords, the British (the familiar strategy of divide and rule was implemented to exacerbate differences between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority), she highlights the deeply human need to belong. The white Australians who are so afraid of their land being overtaken by non-white immigrants, refuse to acknowledge that the land was never theirs to claim.
This Hybrid Reads 