In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews called the stories "Quiet, beautiful accounts of journeys through hell."[6] Also in a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it a "splendid and elegantly observed collection" and wrote that "these stories find Li at the top of her game."[7]
The New York Times called the book a "triumphant, if more oblique, excavation of aging."[8]The Times Literary Supplement observed the collection's "themes of care-taking and loss" and wrote it "may be full of woe, but it is also full of wonder."[9]The Asian Review of Books called it "perhaps the most compelling yet" of Li's short story collections.[10] One reviewer in The Guardian called the stories "bruising, beautiful tales"; another observed Li's approach to themes of grief.[11][12]The Chicago Review of Books lauded Li's consistent writing of her subject matter, stating that "she’s once again shown us why she’s remained such a treasured guide to the lands of grief over the past twenty-plus years."[13]NPR noted that "compassion, coupled with Li's gorgeous prose and painstaking attention to detail, is what makes these stories so beautiful, so accomplished."[14]
Kirkus Reviews, Esquire, and Vulture included the book on their respective Best Books of 2023 lists.[15][16][17]Los Angeles Times considered it an anticipated read for fall and later placed it on their Best Novels of 2023 list.[18][19]NPR placed it on their Books We Love list for 2023.[20]
^Athitakis, Mark; Berry, Lorraine; Ferri, Jessica; Gwinn, Mary Ann; Patrick, Bethanne (2023-08-28). "30 books we can't wait to read this fall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
