Central Places

This is the story of Audrey, a young, hip New Yorker, who returns to her small midwestern hometown for the Christmas season eight years after she graduated high school and got away as fast as she could. She brings her fancy New York fiancé with her and before she's been back long, she runs into her high school crush and discovers that her boyfriend is a bit of a dud. But this is not a Hallmark movie. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Audrey always felt distanced from her peers both by her appearance (and the casual racism that went with that) and her parents's lack of knowledge of how to be American parents. She also rebelled against her mother's expectations and refused to learn Mandarin or eat the foods her parents prepared. show more Returning isn't something she's happy about. But as she runs into people she knew, spends some time with the guy she had a crush on and fights with her mother, she's learning about herself and how impossible it is to truly leave the past behind.

This novel started slowly, but by the halfway mark, I was having trouble putting it down. I'd be thrown out of the story by the tension between the author mentioning specific places that exist in Peoria, Illinois, but then having other specific places, like the sizable airport, not exist. The author grew up in this area and her own experience makes Audrey's adolescence feel very real. As she struggles against the ideas about her past that she's told herself, she begins to see that the truth might be more complex than she's imagined and that having a central place to call home, no matter how often or infrequent the visits is important. The writing in this novel was good, with the light touch that gradually gives way to a deeper exploration of Audrey's complicated relationship to where she grew up. show less

Audrey Zhou grew up as one of the very few Asian Americans in small town central Illinois, had a difficult relationship with her mother and couldn’t wait to get out. After college, she moved to New York where she obtained a good job and a white fiancé, Ben. She hasn’t returned home for eight years but his called there over Christmas when her father has to undergo a medical procedure. Ben travels with her, but her visit is complicated by her difficulties with her mother as well as encountering her high school crush and her former best friend with whom she had a falling out years ago.

There are many emotional rabbit holes in this story. There is the poignancy of being ethnically different in a white bread American town where kids can show more be really cruel, the effects of parents who are different from the “norm”, and never feeling that you truly fit in, the often fraught mother daughter relationship especially when the mother is demanding and seemingly cold. There is dealing with parents who are aging and the inner conflict in a child about what debt is owed them. There is the draw of a first love; finding equality in a mature human relationship, and letting go.

This is well written by a debut author. She captures so well those feelings about returning to your parental home (your “central place”) as a young adult when your parents are moving on and you see your childhood room for the last time. I really liked the first half of the book. It became a tad tedious for a while because I thought Audrey was a bit immature and bratty and Ben a bit snobbish and dickish. But it ended strong with the satisfaction of resolution. This is a worthwhile read.

Thanks to #netgalley and #randomhouse for the ARC show less

Audrey Zhou is the only child of Chinese immigrants living in central Illinois. She currently lives in NYC with her white fiancé, Ben, who comes from a privileged background. Her father's failing health causes her to return to her hometown to introduce Ben to her parents and her background. Her contentious relationship with her mother is the main reason she hasn't returned in eight years.

A random meeting with her old friend, Kyle, stirs up memories that are bittersweet. She also encounters her previous best friend, whom she summarily dismissed in a hurtful way years before this encounter. Audrey sees herself as a victim in many ways. She is not a likeable character given her self-absorption and inability to see anyone else's viewpoint. show more

I finished this novel with mixed feelings, hoping that Audrey would eventually develop compassion for someone besides herself. It is told from her perspective, but there is understanding for those people in her life who deserved a better daughter and friend. show less

Cai's Central Places, uses the framework of romance as a way of expressing wayward desires. This is seen through Audrey Zhou's cheating on her fiance Ben with her high school crush, Kyle. Zhou further unexpectedly rejects both Ben and Kyle and chooses herself in the end. What is more unexpected is her parents' decision in the end. Cai also crafts an excellent arc for Audrey as she learns to come over her past trauma in Hickory Grove and to resolve relationships with past friends. While some of these past friends fall flat in terms of characterization and depth, Audrey's relationships with her parents remain the strongest throughout the book..

***Possible Spoilers***

Too many "strikes" (what I will affectionately call Progressive B.S.) for me and decided to bail @ 16%. Not bad up to that point, but nothing too evocative or memorable either.

3%: "young white couple": Why is their skin color important?