While the traumatic experiences within the book are off-putting, the narrative voice of the book is grounding and easy to follow. This is a book that MUST come content warnings - something I learned too late.

I received this as an e-arc via Netgalley and I was super excited about it. I was hearing the hype and buzz around Lenny Publishing. I was excited about the prospect of a new and diverse author. The cover was gorgeous. I loved the title....

....and then the hype died down and I realized.... , "Jackie, you don't like short stories."

Duh. Face palm.

I didn’t finish this book. I found it too vulgar/depressing in a unnecessary way. While I was intrigued by the story, I had a hard time understanding how true the narrative was.

This author is talented, but these stories are definitely NOT my favorite I have received from Netgalley. I just could not feel invested in these stories.

While I did like the idea the idea of reading different stories about different women, some of the stories were just plain bizarre. I'm not a prude, but some of the stories were a bit too sexualized for me. Reading about an especially young female having sex is not up my alley. Thanks for the opportunity to review this book. I would not recommend it; therefore, I will not feature it on our site. Thank you.

I read this book last month and it didn’t really wow me like I had been expecting. A lot of the stories within were a bit extreme and sometimes boring. I found myself struggling to keep going, and that is saying something when you are doing a passive activity such as listening! As the book wound its way to the conclusion, I was happy that I stayed along for the journey because I did enjoy how the stories were interconnected

I was very intrigued by the cover of this book and the description. I love reading anthologies and collective stories- especially those dealing with adolescence and coming of age and I had high hopes for this book. I must say I was a little disappointed by a few sections in particular, mainly one dealing with assault of a youth by other youths. I felt uncomfortable and though I’ve read books with more disturbing content, but this specific story felt out of place. I also had issues with the voice in this book, it was often very hard to follow.

I honestly couldn't get past the first story about their toilet problems.

This is a set of stories that left me with a strange mix of feelings. Each story is fleshed out and intricately written (none stand out from the rest, they are uniformly good) and vaguely intersect. The characters range from the unlikable to the likable, the independent to the stifled but all deal directly with female identity and upwards mobility.

A brilliant novel that gets to the heart of the being an immigrant in this day and age...and maybe any age.

I'd seen Jenny Zhang perform her poetry before so I had an idea of what to expect from her innovative use of language and playfulness with form. The themes in her memoir (immigration, coming of age) combined with Zhang's accessibility make this title and excerpts of it a good fit for classroom use.

I was very excited to dive into this collection of stories. From the opening page, I felt as if I had stumbled upon something great. The prose was so beautiful and strong, I thought I had a female Junot Diaz on my hands. I absolutely love reading about different cultures, and the intersection of girlhood, growing up in NYC, class, race, and ethnicity all converge in one big melting pot of a story. Where the novel began to lose me was it felt as if it lost steam after the first three stories. The weaving of characters into different narratives felt almost forced at times, and was often distracting. Overall, a beautiful work.

I usually do not enjoy short stories however this book won me over. I loved the way the stories intertwined . Great read for anyone who enjoys reading about the experiences of families who have to adapt to life in another country . I highly recommend this book.

This is an interesting collection of stories. I can't say that I enjoyed the book, but I guess I still learned something by reading it. The focus is on poor Asian immigrant families living in New York and the (often strange) sacrifices they have to make in order to survive. The writing is thoughtful, interesting, and sometimes insightful, but it's also dark, sprawling, and very stream of consciousness.

When I finished the book, the feeling I was left with was, "Huh, that sure was odd." Not everything felt realistic to me. More than a few moments, characters, and plot points seemed forced. Am I just out of touch with the harsh experiences of others? I don't know, but I couldn't help but feel like I was being manipulated and shocked by intense moments in order to make me FEEL something. It felt cheap. And, yes, uncomfortable. Maybe that was the point? In the end, it all just seemed very strange.

Uses violence and rape instead of good writing. I didn't finish this because it was too rough. I'm glad it's out there for somebody but that person isn't me.

Jenny Zhang's debut story collection give glimpses into the lives of Chinese-American girls growing up in NYC in the '90s. Each story dips into the lives of separate families who are tenuously connected, to give insight into the Chinese immigrant experience. But this is a particular kind of experience - these are the daughters of artists and professors who fled the Cultural Revolution in China.

They grow up dumpster diving for food, sharing rooms with multiple families, cramming themselves into tiny beds in apartments that might collapse any day (and eventually do). But these stories aren't just about the immigrant experience, they're also about growing up. They're about being a girl and a teenager, about the strange relationship you have with family. How it smothers you and keeps you alive at the same time. They're about the way you sometimes do weird or destructive things to yourself or other and you don't know why.

As with all story collections, some stories will land harder than others, and Zhang's characters aren't always likable. After a really promising first story, the second story, "The Empty The Empty The Empty" is excruciatingly hard to get through - the narrator is unlikable and there are descriptions of children sexually abusing other children. If you reach the end of this one and feel sick to your stomach, it's still worth it to keep going. Every story is different and most are worth the effort. Stories of life in 1960s China, overbearing grannies, the complexities of brother-sister relationships offer up vivid characters and funny, heartbreaking stories of families growing up below the poverty line, trying to navigate the challenges of being an immigrant in a country that doesn't exactly welcome them with open arms.

Trigger Warnings: Foul language, graphic subject matter


Stories of NYC in the 1990 told by a young girl who immigrated with her parents from Shanghai. Among other stories of immigrant people with their children and the different circumstances they have had to go through. One of the examples Is living somewhere where the main language spoken isn't your first language, along with many other strife's that were endured of these immigrants.

With many of the stories being told there is no way of putting it nicely what happened and I applaud Jenny for not sugar coating the things these people endured tp show how hard it was for them. Jenny wrote a magnificent book with candor and truth at the helm of every turn.

I am so glad that she chose to write these stories because these stories can change how so many people view not only immigrants but their children and can hopefully understand the strife that they have endured to be where they are.

There were times while reading this book that I had to take a breather and clear my ace from the tears because it was so touching and moving that I could barely hold my emotions. I am not a book crier but this book touched me in such a way that I couldn't help but cry for those who went through so much!

I would definitely recommend this book if you are skeptical! It was a great learning tool and I wont forget it any time soon!!

Anyone looking for feel-good stories better look elsewhere. Am I being naive that I found much in the stories unbelievable? Yes, I know there are people with sad stories and awful experiences, but I just had the feeling in these stories that the author was aiming for shock value and exaggerated the awfulness. The descriptions in the writing were very good and the writer definitely has talent, but some of the stories lacked focus and seemed repetitive. The children didn't sound to me like children - were they really that focused on sex already at such a young age?

I look forward to future writing from this author to see if her promise turns into reality.

3.5 stars. Sour Heart is a hard one to rate. Lots I liked and lots I disliked about this collection of linked short stories. Each story is told from the point of view of a young girl who's family has immigrated from China to the United States, taking place primarily during the 1990s. The stories are linked in that some of the girls have run into each other somehow or other through school or family, and the first and last stories deal with different points in time in the life of the same girl and her family.

What I liked: Zhang is a very sharp writer and observer. These are not sweet stories -- no surprise given the title. The main characters may be young, but their experiences at home and in the world are often harsh, and in turn the eye they cast on their families and surroundings is completely unsentimental and often also harsh. This doesn't mean that there is no love within the families depicted, but it is often love at a price or love that quickly turns bitter. Through her characters' eyes, Zhang is a keen observer and her writing is at times brilliant.

What I didn't like: While the characters and family dynamics are different, there is a sameness between the stories. One of the repeated themes is the harshness -- often graphically so -- between the kids. While raw and real once or twice, after a while it felt excessive. There is one story in particular featuring a couple of cruel nine year olds that feels over the top -- as though written for its shock value. After a while, it felt like too many keenly observant children bitter well beyond their years.

I'm landing on 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I recognize Zhang's talent and I really enjoyed some of the stories but this is definitely not a book for everyone. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I am not a very big short story fan. So why I decided to try this book, I'm not quite sure. The first few stories that I got through were eye-opening to say the least, but they just weren't up my alley. I unfortunately did not finish this book.