Review of Getting Here, by Henry Wei Leung
The first sentence in Getting Here is around three lines long and has no commas. In fact, the story almost entirely ignores the use of commas and opts for run-on sentences instead. Some readers may have to read a few sentences several times to understand their meaning. This can be jarring at first, but over time, they begin to reflect the narrator’s personality. The run-on sentences fit well into the idea of the narrator questioning and reflecting on his past. We read his thoughts – raw and unfiltered. Through this stylistic choice, we understand the character even more despite the writing being hard to digest in the beginning.
Similarly, the abundance of metaphors may require a line to be read twice or thrice. It can be said that the author uses too many metaphors and sentences that seem out of place, however, the majority of Getting Here is spent in the narrator’s mind. The author, Henry Wei Leung, uses such uncommon metaphors to tell us more about the narrator’s background and personality. The metaphors used in the story can be bizarre, but nonetheless attractive. They can be enjoyable and share great insight into the narrator through the particular word choices.
Readers may not immediately have a positive response to the story, as they struggle to find meaning in the earlier paragraphs. The run-on sentences, metaphors and story (or lack thereof), make it difficult to enjoy quickly. Despite that, I find myself loving this piece when I take my time and read it word by word. Depth and complexities unfurls with every read like I’m discovering the intention as I read a sentence for the third time. I do not know the author’s true intention, but I believe that this is a melancholic story about someone who feels a sense of displacement and homelessness in a country with a different culture. The run-on sentences contribute to that meaning because when reading it, it felt as if I was listening to someone rant about their problems and feeling slightly lost in all their thoughts. The piece has such a deep insight into the sense of displacement, it makes me wonder if the author has experienced that as well.
The first thing one might notice when reading Getting Here is the author’s lack of language filter, stating things almost as a stream of consciousness, unafraid of being brutally honest with their perspective on the world. Comments about the “radiation in their bodies from the bomb in Hiroshima” and “I lean against the Buddhist swastikas” come across as jarring at first, but quickly reveal the character’s personality. It is this honesty in the writing that makes the narrative seem so genuine to the themes of displacement and being held back by the past, even if it does occasionally make the reader stop to take in the jarring moments.
Perhaps the most confusing element of Getting Here, when analysing the piece, is its apparent lack of narrative focus early on. Leung often gets caught up in heavy description and metaphor, making it difficult to find the plot of his short story. Whether this is a stylistic choice made to reflect the displacement of his narrator is unclear. If that is the case, it becomes a clever reflection of the narrator’s mindset, unable to pin down their place as a somebody of Chinese heritage growing up in America. Nonetheless, it is difficult to find the answer to this issue, given the short length of the work.
Overall, Leung’s piece is a compelling story of displacement and the ongoing impact of a family’s heritage while trying to find a place amongst different cultures. My only concern is that some readers may finish the piece confused and unfocused, not willing to take the time to read into the choices made by its author. Leung’s use of run-on sentences and lengthy metaphors can be jarring at first, but pay off when time is put into understanding it. Unfortunately, that may be too late for some casual readers.
Similarly, the abundance of metaphors may require a line to be read twice or thrice. It can be said that the author uses too many metaphors and sentences that seem out of place, however, the majority of Getting Here is spent in the narrator’s mind. The author, Henry Wei Leung, uses such uncommon metaphors to tell us more about the narrator’s background and personality. The metaphors used in the story can be bizarre, but nonetheless attractive. They can be enjoyable and share great insight into the narrator through the particular word choices.
Readers may not immediately have a positive response to the story, as they struggle to find meaning in the earlier paragraphs. The run-on sentences, metaphors and story (or lack thereof), make it difficult to enjoy quickly. Despite that, I find myself loving this piece when I take my time and read it word by word. Depth and complexities unfurls with every read like I’m discovering the intention as I read a sentence for the third time. I do not know the author’s true intention, but I believe that this is a melancholic story about someone who feels a sense of displacement and homelessness in a country with a different culture. The run-on sentences contribute to that meaning because when reading it, it felt as if I was listening to someone rant about their problems and feeling slightly lost in all their thoughts. The piece has such a deep insight into the sense of displacement, it makes me wonder if the author has experienced that as well.
The first thing one might notice when reading Getting Here is the author’s lack of language filter, stating things almost as a stream of consciousness, unafraid of being brutally honest with their perspective on the world. Comments about the “radiation in their bodies from the bomb in Hiroshima” and “I lean against the Buddhist swastikas” come across as jarring at first, but quickly reveal the character’s personality. It is this honesty in the writing that makes the narrative seem so genuine to the themes of displacement and being held back by the past, even if it does occasionally make the reader stop to take in the jarring moments.
Perhaps the most confusing element of Getting Here, when analysing the piece, is its apparent lack of narrative focus early on. Leung often gets caught up in heavy description and metaphor, making it difficult to find the plot of his short story. Whether this is a stylistic choice made to reflect the displacement of his narrator is unclear. If that is the case, it becomes a clever reflection of the narrator’s mindset, unable to pin down their place as a somebody of Chinese heritage growing up in America. Nonetheless, it is difficult to find the answer to this issue, given the short length of the work.
Overall, Leung’s piece is a compelling story of displacement and the ongoing impact of a family’s heritage while trying to find a place amongst different cultures. My only concern is that some readers may finish the piece confused and unfocused, not willing to take the time to read into the choices made by its author. Leung’s use of run-on sentences and lengthy metaphors can be jarring at first, but pay off when time is put into understanding it. Unfortunately, that may be too late for some casual readers.
Very nicely done. Interestingly, like the piece, I'm a little uncertain myself if the review favours or disfavours Henry's story - it seems to do both. Good job focusing on the craft, and yes, Henry does make these stylistic choices intentionally. But also good to pick up on whether it works or doesn't - and whether it deliberately challenges our usual ways of reading a narrative, where we're used to emphasis on certain elements of the craft compared to others.
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