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[b:Girl A|55271524|Girl A|Abigail Dean|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1599562435l/55271524.SY75.jpg|73790333] failed to build a convincing universe and provoked no psychological tension. After learning of the children's confinement by their abusive parents at the very beginning of the story, what follows is a plodding, nonsensical backstory interspersed with the present time's mundane probate drama. Nothing rang true about either of the parents, which made it hard for the rest of the story to fall into place. Overall the story was hard to follow, and rapidly flitting between points in the past and the present left little opportunity for connection with the characters. Would not recommend.

Halfway through I thought I'd already read this story, but then I realized I was thinking of [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1213131305l/149267.SX50.jpg|1742269], which was twice as long but with much better pacing. I also started to suspect that the characters of [b:The Overstory|40180098|The Overstory|Richard Powers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562786502l/40180098.SY75.jpg|57662223] would not be okay with the number of trees that were cut down to publish such a bloated book. While at times I was tempted to DNF, I didn't completely hate this book. It was hard for me to keep track of all the characters, even with the lengthy exposition dedicated to each at the beginning, and I failed to emotionally connect with any of them. What compelled me about this book was the perspective of the forests and trees, and the sense of scale of their footprints and timeline--I'm not sure that the stories of any of the humans in this particular book did that broader perspective enough justice. Overall I didn't particularly enjoy reading this book, but it did give me some things to think about.

This was a quick read that illustrates the maddening systemic and cultural misogyny that persists in South Korea. From the workplace, where women earn 63% of their male counterparts' salaries, to the home, where boys are given preferential treatment to their sisters, this book exposes many problems with modern South Korean culture by studying one (fictional) woman's life experience--which has resulted in a psychological breakdown. It is clear why this book helped to spark a feminist revolution in South Korea, and Jiyoung's story is sure to strike a nerve with women anywhere.

Covering the issue of our addiction to technology and social media, and the implications of sharing all of our most personal details with corporations who don't hold our privacy in their best interests, [a:Megan Angelo|18044292|Megan Angelo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565558563p2/18044292.jpg] imagines a catastrophic privacy breach that results in the collapse of the internet as we know it today. The resulting dystopia brings a government-controlled internet and a Truman Show-style media outlet that encourages Americans to resume their habit of following social influencers and oversharing their own details--all for their own protection, of course. It's an enjoyably ambitious story that makes some very good points, but it was flawed enough on execution to break my suspension of disbelief and keep me from loving this book. P.S. That's just not how the 404 error works.

For many, this study of (white) Millenial suffering will be a non-starter: Elizabeth, growing up in privilege as the daughter of wealthy Floridian lawyers, did all of the things she was "supposed to" do and in return was rewarded, as so many of her generation are, with staggering debt, an untenable work/life balance as a teacher and mother, an unpayable slew of healthcare bills, and a complete lack of fulfillment. Estranged from her Boomer parents, who cruelly fault her for failing to establish a career, as well as her former best friend Sasha, for whom she pines throughout the story, Elizabeth is forced to navigate the suffering of her generation without much support other than from her overburdened husband, who quit a cushy job to start his own business, further straining the family's financial situation. This book made me sympathize less with the main character than with the disenchanted Millenial generation in general.