A review by goatsrsexy
Shanghailanders by Juli Min

challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Shanghailanders by Julie Min was a really interesting piece of literary fiction. It starts in 2040 and throughout the book goes backwards in time, ending in 2014. It follows a family, three daughters and their parents, who live in Shanghai. Parts of the story are told from each of their perspectives and there are also a few chapters from the perspective of other people in their life, like people who have worked for them.

I'm not sure I've ever read a story told this way, and it definitely is an interesting way to see who these people are. We initially see them as they are, in their present day (our near future) and slowly go back in time little by little exploring small snippets of their lives and see the things that shaped them. It's especially interesting with the daughters, since they are just coming into adulthood at the beginning of the book which means we see a lot of their childhood, some of which took place during covid which I found interesting although it is not a main plot point by any means, it's just mentioned offhandedly.

While Shanghailanders does take place in the near future, don't expect a SciFi type of story. This is a very character driven novel that explores the complexities of familial relationships in a pretty melancholy way. It was overall a really great story and I'm definitely interested to read more from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy.