R. F. Kang is one of the most versatile authors I know! From her Poppy War fantasy trilogy, to Babel which explores the “magic” of words, to this exceptional new novel set in the real world, Kang has explored a range of genres with great dexterity and created fascinating characters and memorable plots each time.

June Hayward has always been in the literary shadow of Athena Liu. No matter what June does, Athena does it better and now she is a literary darling while June is an after-thought, a non-contender in the literary world. Still, June tries to maintain a connection with Athena, because Athena is in the know regarding changing trends in publishing world, and that is helpful if June hopes to break through her current writers’ block.

So June was there in Athena’s apartment when Athena died in a freak accident and  on an impulse, June steals the manuscript that Athena has just bragged about completing, about the little known contributions of Chinese labor during World War I.

Soon June is editing the manuscript and sends it to her editor as her own work. Then her editor wants to rebrand her as Juniper Song-a vaguely Asian name with an equally ambiguous photo to go on the back of the book, even though June is White. June keeps on justifying all these changes because she feels that this is an important part of history that needs to be told.  But soon some threatening information emerges, and June discovers just how far will she have to go to protect her unexpected and unmerited success.

This is paced like a thriller. Each small step that June takes brings on an unforeseen consequence and soon June is consumed with trying to save herself from discovery. June is a complicated character and although you may not like some of the things she does, she is overall a sympathetic character who understandably yearns for success and validation. But this novel is more than just a story about a struggling writer. Like all of her novels, Kang is asking us to grapple with some of the bigger issues of our time- diversity, racism, cultural appropriation, as well as the tyranny of social media. With razor sharp humor and keen insight, Kang has offered us a unique insight on our society and culture. This is a definite must read for this summer! 

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Lauren, Sharon, Keith and Ken.

Book Study Worthy! Yes!

Read in ebook format.