Review
A complimentary copy of the book has been provided by Fully Booked in exchange for an honest review.
“When the rumble of a tractor-trailer outside startles her, she, in her half sleep says, “What time is it, Daddy?” It’s only when he does not answer that she remembers he’s no longer there.”
Tomb Sweeping is a collection of 15 short stories revolving around family, relationships, and finding your position in the society.
There was something about this book that resonated with me very well. Perhaps it’s the part where the collections all circled around life, aspirations, and death. Or maybe it’s the hopefulness that lies deep within the core of each stories. This strong connection could also be because these stories all centered on Asian characters. The only thing I am sure of, though, is that the book touched me.
As with all anthologies, you’d connect with stories more than others. I would like to begin and share my thoughts on the title story first. For something that generated the cover title, I felt the like this was such a weak story. It might be part of the story’s appeal to be detached, I don’t know. It could just be purely preference and so that’s why I didn’t get the essence of this story.
My favourite amongst all the stories is between To Get Rich is Glorious or Farewell, Hank. These stories are entirely different, however, they are both really well done.
The former is a story of a woman who has aspirations, but everything changed when she started facing the real world where women aren’t appreciated for their worth and more for their value as a homemaker. This turn of event hit her hard and she became eager to find something to prove her self-worth and eventually found new purpose. It was, indeed, glorious.
The latter was a truly awkward read. A wife wanted to collect her friends in a place where they can share their thanks to her husband before he dies. If you really think about it, it does make sense. To give your appreciations to the person while they’re still alive. But it doesn’t take away the fact that it is such a bizarre moment.
I absolutely enjoyed the collection. Its overall quality is good and I would definitely recommend it to friends. Additionally, I was quite falling behind with reading as the last book I read didn’t connect well with me, but this book brought me back into a good rhythm.
