A Quitter’s Paradise

Wow, this book was fun! It's smart, dark, and very funny. The book has a dual timeline POV and I think both worked well, though I was most compelled by the present storyline. I really appreciated the nuanced and sometimes difficult choices the characters made when it came to relationships, secrets, and being vulnerable with one another, especially when it came to difficult families and estrangement. The surprise plot point at about 50% had me totally mindblown and was super well done (I won't spoil it for everyone else, but lol). I also love the cover!!

Really enjoyed this book! The premise was very well crafted, which is something literary fiction novels sometimes lack in favour of character development but with A Quitter's Paradise there was a wonderful balance between the two. I read this book in one sitting because of how much I liked it, even though it was the weekend before my finals. I'm definitely going to look out for more works by Elysha Chang in the future!

I really enjoyed the authors writing style, intimate yet expansive. Quitter's Paradise is as rich in laughter as it is in poignant exploration of grief and longing. Will definitely keep an eye on this writers future works.

This book was sooooo good! I found myself laughing, and then crying, and then feeling happy! I saw so much of myself in the main character, it was just really heartwarming and important to read! I finished this book in one day, which is fairly unusual for me, and I believe other readers would do the same! Well done, I really appreciate the advanced copy!

Eleanor Liu is working for her husband's lab. She is perfectly fine, even though she dropped out of her Ph.D program and has a lot less autonomy then she thinks. As she tells her story, there are insets of her sister, mother and father's stories as well. It's a wide reaching story about an Asian family and the choices they make. As Eleanor is the most impulsive she is more or less the star. It's a quick and enthralling read for anyone interested in contemporary fiction stories!
#Zando #AQuittersParadise #ElyshaChang

A Quitter’s Paradise features two major storylines - one in the present where Eleanor is seems to be making increasingly poor decisions after quitting her PhD program and another focused on her parent’s and childhood.

I really liked the present day plot and wished the story had focused more on the present Eleanor including the future of her work, her relationship with her best friend, her relationship with her husband, and her grieving her mother’s recent death. I would recommend this to anyone looking for great writing and a story of family dynamics.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I enjoyed the two different stories of two generations in this novel and how they impact one another - the story of Rita and Jing from Taipei, who emigrate to the U.S; and the stories of their daughters, Narisa and Eleanor, who grow up in New York.

Eleanor quits her PhD program in neuroscience; Narisa disappears for good while a teen, after one too many fights with her disapproving parents. Only Eleanor and her mother Rita are left after her father Jing leaves the U.S. and forms a new family in Taipei.

I am left with amazement and dismay at the family dynamics, especially that created by the parents. I wondered how Eleanor would cope with that history of people leaving and with her mother Rita, who is left alone with the girls in the U.S. when Jing leaves.

The novel tells two stories - the history of the parents and their extended family in NY, and that of the girls raised in the U.S. I found both stories fascinating.

A hilarious debut! Loved Eleanor and her family. A must-read for fans of dark humor! Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ebook arc!