3.5 stars - "Spent Bullets" chronicles the lives of Taiwanese intellectual elites in both their homeland and Silicon Valley, ultimately asking whether the seemingly endless pursuit of success is worth the brutal emotional, mental and physical tolls.

I think this theme is ever relevant and Tetsuya (still weird to call a Taiwanese author by their Japanese pen name) explores it quite deftly through the narrative, stylistic choices and structure. The latter is particularly compelling with the author's intentional obfuscation of who each chapter's narrator is. I also enjoyed the book's melancholic yet chaotic tone, and how unpredictable the story and characters can be through a single word or action.

Overall, this was an interesting read, though readers should be warned that its content features a whole host of trigger warnings.