Hello! It’s new release Tuesday, which means that some of the books I read as review copies are being released out into the world for everyone to read! I want to make sure this review, as well as The Friday Cage are posted so I’m more caught up. As always, here is the link to click in order to support the Black Lives Matter movement in any way you can, and thank you to StarlahReads for compiling these resources.
Here is another instance of entering a bunch of giveaways for books and forgetting I did so until I get an email saying I won. Back in May I received an email from Doubleday Publishing telling me I had won an electronic copy of Inheritors by Asako Serizawa. I typically don’t read historical fiction or short story collections, so I was surprised that I had entered in the first place, but I am still incredibly grateful to the publisher, Doubleday, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy. Even though I am not obligated to review a book I won, I still would like to share my thoughts, which are all my own.
Inheritors by Asako Serizawa is a collection of stories in various styles and perspectives spanning over 100 years, that paint a kaleidoscopic picture of the effects of loss, imperialism, and war.
As previously stated, this book is extremely out of my comfort zone, both in writing style and genre, but it certainly was an interesting read. When I picked it up, I was unaware it was actually a collection of short stories, so the plot felt very disjointed and I didn’t get much satisfaction out of each individual section. I did appreciate the linearity of the stories, and I found the concept of following multiple generations of people through their struggles of war, loss, and societal influence intriguing. A variety of writing styles (interviews, first person perspective, third person perspective, etc.) are riddled throughout, and while I connected more to others, and did find myself confused several times throughout the novel, I thought the message of each story was clear and I had a general understanding of what it was trying to convey. I found the book as a whole extremely well-written, immersive, and I think the strongest aspect was the character development, because sometimes we’re only following a character for a few pages, but in that short amount of time we learn their struggles and are able to form connections. Each character has a purpose, and signifies a certain aspect of the time in which they are placed, so the reader has a view into the period, and form a connection even if they previously held no bonds to that era. The book truly took me on a journey, and I will forever respect it for that.
It’s no surprise Inheritors won’t end up on a list of my favorites – I chalk that more up to me than the book. Not every book I pick up is going to be a favorite, and it’s fine to have preferences on what you want to read. However, I still believe that Inheritors is a collection of stories that will heavily impact its projected audience, and I will be glad to see those people enjoy every second of this book when it’s released on July 14th, 2020 (which should be the day this is posted, if scheduling works out).
Places to find Inheritors:
Amazon
Goodreads
Asako Serizawa’s site
Penguin Random House
Thoughts About Things 