Review: The Silence That Binds Us

I remember applying for an ARC for this book back when I just started blogging, but Edelweiss service is so bad it really doesn't tell you whether your request is accepted or rejected. Don't leave me hanging Edelweiss, that's gonna end up me adding a 2 star on your review in Playstore.

Maybelline Chen isn't the Chinese Taiwanese American daughter her mother expects her to be. May prefers hoodies over dresses and wants to become a writer. When asked, her mom can't come up with one specific reason for why she's proud of her only daughter. May's beloved brother, Danny, on the other hand, has just been admitted to Princeton. But Danny secretly struggles with depression, and when he dies by suicide, May's world is shattered.

In the aftermath, racist accusations are hurled against May's parents for putting too much "pressure" on him. May's father tells her to keep her head down. Instead, May challenges these ugly stereotypes through her writing. Yet the consequences of speaking out run much deeper than anyone could foresee. Who gets to tell our stories, and who gets silenced? It's up to May to take back the narrative.

QUICK THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: 4.2/5, COMPELLING STORY, AND I LIKE THE PREMISE.

Possible Trigger Tags:

1. Racism

2. Suicide

3. Bullying

4. Racial Slurs

5. Mention of cancer

6. Mention of homophobia

WHAT DID I FEEL ABOUT THE  BOOK'S: 

1. Writing Quality: The writing quality is pretty good I must say because, despite having an enormous amount of chapters, this book flows pretty quick and the chapters are really bite sized which in fact is really convenient to my ADHD ass. I really prefer bite sized chapters when it comes to novels because it actually compels me to move forward with the story and not actually DNF it.

2. Character Development: So coming to the characters.

Tiya Marie: I love her. I guess throughout the book she has been one of the best and most supporting characters ever. Like for real she's supportive, bubbly and she eats a lot. I want a friend like Tiya Marie in my life please.

May: Okay, first of all, I cracked up real hard that her name was Maybelline. Like the company. I shouldn't have, but it was funny to me. But yeah, I think that May suffering after Danny passes away is something so damn relatable to me. I quite relate to May's character in a lot of ways, first of them having trouble with mothers. Most of the time my mother and I don't really get along with one another and it often ends up in a lot of misunderstanding. I love the fact that she actually refuses to stay quiet about the racist accusations about her family. She's strong and I'm gonna hug her because even though things aren't okay right now, it is desperately okay to be afraid.

3. Couldn't put it down- Ness: 8/10. It's a compelling story nonetheless.

 

4. Intellectual Depth: The fact that no one is always willing to listen to both sides of the story. Especially the side which has been affected the most. Nate McIntyre is seen stepping over May and her family and blaming the Asian community for suicide like the damned racist he is without actually knowing the story. And the thing is that no one talks about post suicide trauma. Definitely the trauma when the person commits and fails is a deep topic to talk about, but the trauma that takes over the closest people after the person has succeeded in committing. It's traumatic, like so fucking traumatic it begins to affect every single thing you do, both circumstantially as well as emotionally. It angers me because not a lot of people are willing to discuss about it. Most of them are like "we'll just talk to a guidance counselor and it will pass". It might, but there's something that still stays inside you, a fricking what-if that always happens to tick inside of you.

5. Plot: I don't think there was much to be said about the plot considering the story seems more of character driven rather than plot driven, even though I quite actually thought that the book would be plot driven. In some cases, I do think that the book was plot driven and I love the fact that the students are actually taking matters into their own hands. I read "Playlist for The Dead" and I didn't like that book much. It also dealt with the same thing this book does [minus the racism part] but I feel like that these two books ended up completely on the opposite ends of the spectrum instead of together.

OVERALL, A NICE READ, would definitely recommend it.