Since its premiere in 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once has been one of the most discussed films. The film, starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis, has won a multitude of awards, including Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes, etc. It is simple to see why this picture has attracted so much attention and why these prizes are so well-deserved. Simply described, it is a science-fiction comedy-drama about Evelyn Wang’s journey across parallel dimensions to find Jobu Tupaki and prevent him from destroying the cosmos. Everything Everywhere All At Once is, nonetheless, a novel about the complicated ties between a mother and her daughter, a mother and her extended family, and a mother battling with her own past, present, and future. It examines existentialism and generational trauma, all inside a bizarre film with hot dog fingers, a raccoon chef, and unending universe-hopping. Its uniqueness is what makes Everything Everywhere All at Once so remarkable. The following novels explore similar topics as the film, ranging from problematic familial ties to existential time loops to how humans struggle with future decision-making. If you’re looking for a nice cozy space to read these amazing fiction books, check out Slingo.com for some luxury spots in Norfolk, UK.
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Tin loves his family and his friends, but he has been harboring a secret from them that might change everything. Amazing graphic tale for young adults that explores the complexities of family and how stories bring us together. The real world is not a storybook. But, Tin still likes reading his favorite stories with his parents from library books he has borrowed. As a child, it’s difficult enough to speak with your parents, but Tin doesn’t even have the correct words because his parents struggle with English. Exists a Vietnamese term for what he is experiencing? Is there a way to inform them that he is homosexual? A wonderfully drawn narrative by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a little child as he attempts to navigate life via fairytales; an instant classic that demonstrates our interconnectedness. The Magic Fish addresses difficult topics in a manner that is accessible to readers of all ages, and shows us that regardless of our circumstances, we can all create our own happy endings.
This Place Is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian
A magnificent debut novel about first love, complex family connections, and racism’s deadly legacy. Ideal for lovers of Tahereh Mafi, Jandy Nelson, and Emily X.R. Pan, with crossover appeal for The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. The Flanagan sisters are as unlike as it gets. Annalie, who is seventeen, is cheerful, pleasant, and self-conscious, but Margaret, who is nineteen, is smart and aggressive. Margaret like their mother, although Annalie is mistaken for white and resembles their father, who abandoned them years ago, leaving their Chinese immigrant mother to raise the sisters alone in their tiny, largely white Midwestern town. Margaret hurries home from her summer work in New York City after their residence is defaced with a startling racist insult. She anticipates uproar. Instead, her sister and mother choose to continue on. Especially when Margaret’s probe begins to unnerve people of their neighborhood. This summer was supposed to be filled with fresh opportunities for Annalie, and she resents her sister’s abrupt appearance and persistence on attracting bad attention to their family. Margaret is enraged by Annalie’s quiet acceptance of what has occurred. For Margaret, the summer could hardly get much worse until she runs into her first love, Rajiv Agarwal, whom she promised she would never see again. As the sisters manage this unexpected summer, an explosive secret threatens to irreparably damage their bond. This Town Is Still Lovely is a bright and compelling narrative about identity, sisterhood, and how our hometowns are an inextricable part of who we are, even after we’ve outgrown them.
The Upper World by Femi Fadugba
If you had the opportunity to alter your future, would you do so? This mind-bending YA debut is perfect for lovers of Neal Shusterman and Jason Reynolds. It follows two kids from different generations whose fates meet through time and beyond. Today During what is undoubtedly the worst week of Esso’s life, an accident transports him to a world beyond space and time, where he may witness the past and future. But, if what he sees is accurate, he may not have long to live unless he can utilize his new ability to alter the path of history. Tomorrow Rhia’s background is full with unanswered issues, none of which she anticipates a new physics instructor to resolve. Nevertheless, Dr. Esso is not present to assist Rhia. He is here because he wants her assistance to untangle a fifteen-year-old tragedy. One that not only holds the key to Rhia’s history, but also to a future worth fighting for. Shortly, a huge Netflix film starring Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya will be released.
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho
Joanna Ho, author of the New York Times bestseller Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, has created an enchanting, heart-wrenching debut novel for young adults that will encourage all to speak truth to power. Maybelline Chen is not the American-Chinese Taiwanese daughter that her mother expects her to be. May favors sweatshirts over gowns and aspires to be a writer. When asked, her mother cannot identify a single reason why she is proud of her only child. Danny, the loving brother of May, has recently been admitted to Princeton. Yet Danny battles in secret with melancholy, and May’s life is wrecked by his death. In the aftermath, May’s parents are accused of racism for placing too much “pressure” on him. May’s father instructs her to keep a low profile. Instead, May’s literature tackles these offensive preconceptions. But, the repercussions of speaking out are far more severe than anyone could have anticipated. Who is permitted to share our tales, and who is silenced? May is responsible for reclaiming the narrative. Joanna Ho examines the relevant topics of mental health, racism, and classism with skill.
The Cartographers by Amy Zhang
Ocean Sun, age seventeen, struggles to match the expectations of her immigrant mother with her own profound uncertainty about her position in the world, so she takes her funds and goes off the grid. Amy Zhang, the celebrated author of Falling into Place and This Is Where It Ends, has written a heartbreaking and romantic novel about family, friendship, philosophy, fitting in, and love. Ocean Sun has always felt immense pressure to achieve success. After experiencing sadness during her final year of high school, Ocean relocates to New York City to attend a top institution. Ocean, however, feels so emotionally raw and unmoored (and unclear about what is real and what is not) that she chooses to postpone her plans and live off her funds until she can regain her composure. She also resolves not to inform her mother (whom she adores but does not like to disappoint) about her decision to defer, at least until it is absolutely necessary. Ocean moves into a flat with Georgie and Tashya, two strangers who quickly become friends, and obtains a tutoring position in New York. She also encounters a boy named Constantine Brave (a name that makes her chuckle) on the metro late at night. Constant is a fellow student and graffiti artist, and he and Ocean begin communicating via Google Docs, discussing physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love. As Ocean returns home for Thanksgiving, Constant shows his actual character, Georgie and Tasha break up, and the cops become involved, nevertheless, everything falls apart. Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya are all cartographers, charting out their futures, dreams, and pathways to maturity in this breathtaking and tragic tale about discovering the fortitude to manage one’s own fate. For lovers of We Are Alright by Nina LaCour and Everything Tragic Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri.
