Holding Pattern

Jenny Xie's debut is impressive, though ultimately not what I had hoped it would be. Exploring ideas of family, intimacy, and “feeling stuck” in life, there's a lot to like here. The pervasive exploration of touch and shared experience is interesting; I only wish she had dived in deeper into some of those themes. The plot meanders a bit and many of the characters remain unexplored and unfulfilling, but the prose is evocative. An enjoyable read, but you can't help but wish it was a little bit more than what it ended up being.