In this exquisitely told tale, Lily, a young adult, discovers that everything she believes to be true about herself, her background, and the world around her is untrue. We witness Lily's transformation in real time, where we occasionally become irritated with her and her decisions before realising that her viewpoint was incredibly narrow and is gradually broadening.
Many people will be able to relate to the characters' struggle with identification and figuring out where they fit because they are flawed but relatable. I had a lovely time seeing Lily develop throughout the book.

<b>4.5 stars</b>

<i><blockquote>The more comfortable and confident I felt, the more risks I took. She had watched me learn to express myself, to become emotionally articulate, to become a person in Chinese.</i></blockquote>

This, for me, is Rebecca Kuang's coming of age as an author book. I loved her [book:Babel|57945316] and [book:Yellowface|62047984], was so-so on [book:The Poppy War|35068705] and positively disliked [book:Katabasis|210223811] - so it's satisfying to see her write a book that pares back to a pure story of emotional growth without all the flash of fantasy and/or plot.

This is a simple story in terms of trajectory as Yale student, Lily, goes to study Chinese in Taiwan on a summer programme. But within the sparse plot, there is what feels like something emotionally authentic. Kuang's own interest in linguistics is used brilliantly to convey both alienation and difference as Lily gradually learns to penetrate the Chinese 'heritage language' that she picked up partially as a child from her Chinese diaspora parents. But more importantly than 'simply' learning a language is the underlying linguistic theory that we are different people within the spheres of different languages. Lily's development, self-understanding and expression as she adds to 'American Lily' to also emerge as 'Chinese-speaking Lily' is so relatable and satisfying to watch.

There is more at the story level that just worked so well here for me: the changing dynamics in the relationships with Anna and JC, the intimations of a troubled family, intersections with Chinese history - and all of these aspects feel bound in to Lily's journey, not side streets.

In the end I think this is the book I've been waiting for Kuang to write - stripped of flash, this feels like watching an author develop in real time. Once started, I could hardly bare to be parted from this book: it's so relatable, so emotionally resonant and personally relatable. This is one I'll be putting into the hands of all my friends!

This book is a love letter to second generation immigrants. In excruciating detail, RF Kuang lays bare the guilt, the shame, the alienation from our roots, that permeates our existence. The writing is exacting and raw and so deeply clever—even more so for those who understand some of the particular Chinese language and culture references. This book is also very much an exploration of the way language (and the lack of it) shape who we are.

I was absolutely enthralled with every page of this book. Kuang has the ability to create a compelling narrative arc despite the lack of a lot of high stakes “action” in the story, and the richness of Lily’s internal dialogue plays a huge part in this. I also love the way Kuang weaves in fascinating information and concepts throughout the book.

One of my favorite books of the year, without a doubt, and one that made me feel understood in a uniquely deep and tender way.