Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Rachel Khong - just picked as the May 2024 Read with Jenna Book Club pick. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!
This story opens on the precipice of Y2K in NYC. Lily, daughter of Chinese immigrants, is an unpaid intern at a media company and meets Matthew at a company party. Matthew is the scion of a wealthy family and offers Lily an unimaginable life. They marry and then have a son. We are next introduced to Nick, living on an island off Washington with Lily, who has kept him completely sheltered from his father and grandmother, as well as the world at large. With prodding from a friend, he eventually finds out who is father is. The next part of the story has Nick graduated and working, and he meets Mei, Lily's mother, and she tells him her backstory in China.
This is an amazing story and is going to be a fabulous book club pick because there is so much to ponder here, all wrapped up in beautifully-written prose. I loved how the different generations' stories were told - not necessarily in order, but letting us know the characters before filling in all the backstories. The big question that this will have you thinking about is choice - are we the product of our choices, or are those made for us? It will have you feeling so lucky to be born when and where you were - but is that all down to luck? An exploration of classism and racism, as well as the concept of time. Can too much money be just a struggle as not enough? I could go on and on - so very much to think about but I loved every page!
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