after reading the first 3 page chapter, i knew this was a 5⭐️ read. individual character studies with little bits of magical realism that increased as you read. felt like Bliss Montage by Ling Ma, but honestly better. The bits of magical realism were so well concealed that it almost felt like historical fiction (which is different than Ma’s style of writing, where the magical part is very obvious. i would compare this style of magical realism to All’s Well, though the style of writing, setting, and plot could not be any different). Sometimes I feel that I miss a cultural subcontext in translated books, but I did not feel that when reading this. just a wonderful book and something I would recommend to anyone who is looking for a creative and lighthearted read. all my praise to the author and translator ❤️