Okay I kind of understand what this book was trying to do, but I genuinely think it missed the mark so bad. The only part I liked in this book was the commentary on the fetishization of Asian women that Alma thinks about when she is in a coma. But like that could have been the whole book because the rest of it added practically nothing to the story. Like I almost wish I could read an essay on the topic from this author. 
Every single character was unlikeable in some way and I think some things actively worked against the commentary the author was trying to make. For example it was so weird that at the very end Daniel was given some weird childhood memory of an Asian crush he had where it felt like the book was trying to justify his fetish? Instead of sticking with the meaningful commentary of this fetish being caused by centuries of racism and stereotypes. And speaking of Daniel, truly screw that guy. Worst character I have come across in a while. And I don't mind characters that are bad people, but it almost felt like the narrative was trying to hype him up and justify him? And make the reader feel bad for him? Like giving him a completely undeserved redemption/forgiveness arc. Like this guy never deserves to breathe the same air as Alma in my opinion. He literally says while fully cheating on her that his "brain was devoid of will". BS!!! Such a crazy thing to include in a book because the author could have chosen to instead make a point that cheating is an active choice and there is no justification for it.
Another random thought I had while reading is that this book falls into some other character stereotypes, such as a gentle giant black character, and the moody punk Asian character (another example it reminded me of is Gogo from Big Hero 6). And of course it isn't really too bad of a thing for your book characters to fall into stereotypes, because it makes it easy for readers to understand, but in cases like this, it feels like it would have only been okay if it was subverted in some way. This would have showed the negative aspect that stereotypes can have, but instead the book just sticks to the stereotypes? Again I just wish things had been subverted a bit, which would have had the added to the enjoyment and interest I had in the characters.'
Overall I really and actively disliked this book.

This was the Shelf Indulgence Book Club March book selection.  I was drawn to the cover and curious how the fish was going to tie into the story (it did not disappoint).  It wasn't until I started reading that I realized this was published post-humorously by the author's daughter.  If you haven't already read it, I would recommend "White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color" by Ruby Hamad as a great non-fiction companion piece to this book.  

“When someone dies, our impulse is to flatten her out, to press her between wax paper like a leaf, or to fix her in amber like a bug. Death as capture, death as collected works. But death is a false terminus, one moment only. It seems more significant because it is the last moment, the most recent, when really it is the smallest and least telling. Life is the plumpness of all directions, of surprises and contradictions, of impulses, mistakes, duplicities, and redemptions. While the vanishing point on the horizon line is a dot, a blip, the same for us all.”

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2025 📖 Read #7/Book #27