your house will pay is a tense novel that delves into racism and the loaded history of the LA riots. what i admire most abt this book is how cha charts the charged, weighted, complex emotions of her characters, the tangled emotional webs on both sides: a black man perpetually on edge + the loaded legacy of his family's victimhood, and a daughter grappling w/ the sudden knowledge of her murderess mother. it's all very layered and complex, yet cha depicts it all masterfully, straddling the grey area not only by writing in two distinct narrative voices but also making the reader empathize and understanding of most of the characters' plight in spite of their dislike. 

another thing i enjoy is reading abt the characters' thought processes, particularly shawn. he's been thru more than most, and seeing him realize that playing by the rules is a losing game - but having to do it anyway - is a just condemnation of the rigged and racist establishment and system occupied w/ keeping their power. and while the personal fully illustrates the systemic problem, the story also explores larger systemic issues as well, showing the reader the complexity of it all. i also think cha does a very good job of establishing a sense of place in both the 90s and present day, depicting a los angeles thats alive in both its grit and humdrum. 

overall, this is a somber book realistic in its depiction of the setting and systemic issues, and one fascinating for its character study.