Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the kind of book that I wish was written when I was younger. I realize that at the age of 26 years old, I still have no plans or ideas as to my future or how I want to spend my life, but reading this book showed me that I could have been spending the last ten years or more enjoying my freedom instead of waking up in the middle of an existential crisis on a daily basis... but enough about me. 

In all seriousness, this book is really poignant and profound, all whilst being hilarious, educational, and a page turner all at once. 

Ingrid Yang is a Taiwanese American who, at 29 years old, is a PhD student in the process of finishing her dissertation on the famous Chinese poet Xiao-Wen Chou. She is engaged to her soul mate and has never needed to second guess her life, love, race, or profession. That is until one day, she stumbles upon a secret. Xiao-Wen Chou does not exist and as this discovery unravels her professional life, her personal and love life soon follow. 

Everyone needs to read this book. Every word is perfection and the ending is the best that I have read in a very long time. It's so educational and my favorite thing about this book is the fact that Ingrid is 29 years old. This is a coming of age story, or rather, it shows that we are all always coming of age, regardless of how old we actually are. We are constantly evolving, growing, and learning. 

I love female written books with strong and interesting female characters. I highly recommend Disorientation - it's such a politically intriguing story that brings issues of race, gender, morals, ethics, love, and conventional success into a conversation that is both funny and endearing. It's such a unique book and I just adored it!