"Your story does not begin with you; It inevitably begins with your parents. And their story does not begin with them..."

Happy paperback release day to this absolute gem of a book Circa by Devi S. Laskar! Thanks to @marinerbooks for the gifted copy.

I don't know what made me pick up this book knowing it was going to be a sad book. After reading this one and seeing Marco (Crash) and Heera's emotional journey through grief, I know that it was just what I needed to be reading while still navigating my own grief about losing one of my best friends recently. He was like a brother to me and I totally related to how Heera was so stuck in her grief when Marie died. Reading this one gave me permission and validation and grieve in my own way and to move forward at my own pace.

Grief shows up in so many ways. Laskar's multiple POV's helps the reader see grief in several forms: leaving your home country, losing a loved one, losing a child, losing your health, and unaccomplished goals. The author's writing was so gorgeous & poetic that it managed to convey so much beauty despite the pain. I loved that she showed how grief can manifest as disobedience, risk taking, disassociate and juvenile delinquency. Grief can also sometimes cause survivors to stay stuck in that moment when their loved one died. Moving through grief can be messy and from the outside looking in can appear more dangerous than painful. Sometimes decisions made while going through grief aren't always the best but patience and understanding go a long way in helping someone grieving come out on the other side ready to continue life. That's one of the biggest takeaways I got from this one.

I loved Heera's character because I could relate to her struggles of being raised in between two worlds, two nations and two lifestyles. Her parent's trauma about having to leave their country played out in their hypervigilance and worry about her losing her traditions. I also really enjoyed how they showed the healing power of art & how instrumental art is for identity & self expression.

If you love emotional, coming of age stories that tackle the complexities of being a child of Asian immigrants, read this one. ( )

Emotionally compelling. A complex look at the effects of grief and the way loss can alter one's life as well as the struggle as a child of immigrants to compromise between the expectations of parents and their culture and one's own desires and the influence of the culture they are immersed in. ( )