Where Reasons End

by Yiyun Li · read March 6, 2020

Review

Such a distinctive, poignant book. I love that it managed to speak to the limits of language and understanding, the relationship between parents and children, the irreplaceable individuality of the people we love, and the unknowability of death... all while staying intimate, personal, not at all didactic.

There were so many could'ves at this moment. I could go down any one of them like a path that led to nowhere, only to end up somewhere between doubt and regret. It was the maze I had decided not to set foot in. I would rather be here, hovering at the entrance, feeling and resisting the temptation of self-indulgence.

Julia Cooke © 2023