Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi, 432 pages. Simon & Schuster, 2019. $19.
Language: R (250 swears, 62 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Working the graveyard shift at a neighborhood health food store is not ideal, but Pablo needs to pay rent and the other unopened bills piling up in his room. When the monotony of his shift is disrupted by a familiar face walking checking out, Pablo almost convinces himself she was a dream. But then she comes back. Pablo’s world is turned upside down and responsibility is falling by the wayside -- but, when something feels so right, it’s hard to care.
As I read Permanent Record, I was reminded of The Catcher in the Rye. This book is like an evolved coming of age story that is about how 20yo Pablo decides to take responsibility for his past actions to change how he wants to be in the future -- even if it all seems hopeless and difficult in the present. Not all the connections I made to this classic were positive, though. I like Pablo as much as I like Holden -- which is not at all -- and the swearing is just as bad. I started to like Permanent Record more after finishing it and making myself think about the story in order to write this review. I like the message and the hope it offers, and I like the unique interests that Pablo finally starts to pursue, but I am not a big fan of all the thoughts Pablo shared throughout the story -- I started skimming a lot through his random stream of conscious thoughts about a quarter of the way into the book. The mature content rating is for mentions of pubic areas, sex toys, nudity, and sex.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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