I'm glad a couple of my reviewer friends read Julie Tieu's The Donut Trap before I did, because I went into this novel with the expectation that it's more a coming-of-age story than a romance. The romance between Jasmine and Alex is definitely a big part of the plot, but the novel is told from Jasmine's point of view and Alex is missing from chunks of the book. Instead, the relationship between Jasmine and her parents and Jasmine's overall post-college funk is the focus of the story and if you read it with the right expectations, it's a really solid debut.
Jasmine is the daughter of Chinese-Cambodian immigrants who've been through a lot both before and after immigrating to the United States, so she struggles to articulate her own needs while not coming off as ungrateful. She's worked in the donut shop her family owns for most of her life and she's disappointed to be back there after college. But how can she tell her parents how unhappy she is without dismissing their life's work? I really appreciated Aarya's review and how she gets into the immigrant family dynamics in the novel. If you're curious or if you've read it and want a nuanced perspective, check it out.
There are a lot of universal feelings in The Donut Trap. The years between 20 and 25 are usually a bit of a mess as people try to figure out who they are, what they want, and how to navigate relationships with their parents and friends as an adult. Tieu gets into some of the awkwardness of moving back to the town in which you grew up and re-connecting with friends after four years apart. She describes the modern struggle to get hired for any job without already having experience in that job. I found myself relating to so much of Jasmine's frustration and my heart went out to her when we learn of the moment in college when she finally broke after trying so hard to be someone she wasn't. We're really hard on ourselves sometimes and oof, it was well done by Tieu.
There are some funny moments and if you like donuts, there are lots of delicious descriptions of pastries. Mostly though, I think this is a great novel to pick up if you want a story about coming of age at 23 and finding love and hope on the other side.
Audio Notes: Natalie Naudus continues to be one of my favorite new narrators. Single narration worked well since the novel is single POV and I have no complaints at all. I listened at a slightly faster speed than usual because I think it's a little slower than others, but that's my only note!
***
If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, please consider using one of these links to support the site: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Kobo, Libro.fm
***
Content Warnings: references to Khmer Rouge and refugee camp, class prejudice (Alex's mom is not a nice person), Alex changes Jasmine's computer settings without her permission, alcohol poisoning: past, depression
I received a copy of this audiobook for review.
