This book felt twice as long as it actually was.

A lot of different themes are being attempted here. We got: anti-consumerism, exploitation of oversea labor, first- and second-generation immigrant experiences, complicated mother-daughter relationships, religious fervor, and the collapse of society just to name a few. And while they were set up, somehow each one felt abandoned? I feel like I was watching a juggler constantly throwing balls up in the air with no intent to attempt to catch them.

Our protagonist come across as extremely passive, like a buoy just gently bobbing about as the mildest of ripples (in the form of external events) roll past her. I struggle to point to any development she exhibited by the end of the book (which may have been the intent, but I wish her resistance to change would've been more explicitly pointed out if that were the case).

This was a book club read, and one of those "we all hated this, right?!" kind of discussions, and somehow I enjoyed it the most and I'm still only giving it two stars.