The titles worthy of a place on your bedside table
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
Rachel Khong’s debut, , was a breakout literary hit in 2017, so she knows her eggs when it comes to writing (literally, she’s also co-authored a cookbook called ). It’s immediately soothing to pick up the beautifully written , a multigenerational tale that moves from 1960s’ China to the very near future of 2030. It’s a confident, immersive story that explores three very different-but-interconnected lives: Lily is an unpaid intern barely scratching a living in 1999’s New York, when she meets the handsome, rich and very appealing Matthew at a party. Her mother, May, is a buttoned-up scientist who refuses to talk about her past and is working hard to assimilate to life in America. And, fast-forward two decades, college-bound Nick is Lily’s son, trying to make sense of his family. Binding the story together is a clear-eyed look at money and power, lost connections and what we inherit from our families – with an unexpected sprinkling of sci-fi and magic too.
