Summary of Real Americans a novel by Rachel Khong

By TIME SUMMARY

DISCLAIMER

This book does not in any capacity mean to replace the original book but to serve as a vast summary of the original book.

Summary of Real Americans a novel by Rachel Khong

IN THIS SUMMARIZED BOOK, YOU WILL GET:

Chapter provides an astute outline of the main contents.
Fast & simple understanding of the content analysis.
Exceptionally summarized content that you may skip in the original book

Real Americans is a novel by Rachel Khong, a renowned author of Goodbye, Vitamin. It tells the story of Lily Chen, a young intern, and Matthew, a pharmaceutical heir, who falls in love with Lily. Meanwhile, Nick Chen, a 15-year-old living with his single mother Lily, sets out to find his biological father. The story explores class, race, and inheritance, as well as trust, forgiveness, and the question of whether we are destined or made. The novel explores the challenges of overcoming our genetic past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: May 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9783989839205

Book preview

PART ONE

Lily

1999

The protagonist, Lily, wakes up at seven and feels trapped in a moment where time seems to stop moving. She reflects on her bathroom mirror, which is flecked with toothpaste, and the kitchen where drain flies circle the sink. She eats toast with blueberry jam, feeling a void in her coloring. Outside, she reflects on her surroundings, as if they were a dream she might wake up from. She watches The Matrix and wonders if life has been an illusory simulation of an advanced society.

Downstairs, Mrs. Chin restocks the key chains of her souvenir shop and Mr. Peng, who owns the salon next door, pauses their quarrel. She orders a regular latte and follows a dark-haired man to a New York City street, reminiscing about her mother's looks. The father and child begin to speak in another language she cannot make out.

Lily enters the office, an unpaid intern, and works in a futuristic glass building. She takes the elevator to the twentieth floor and gives Jerry his coffee, which he accepts without saying anything. She spends the next four hours brightening images and searching for jobs in art history major, curator, docent, or teacher.

Lily wishes for a clear way forward, a passion like her parents had, but she has not inherited their gift for science or anything at all.

At the company's holiday party, the tree was false and towering, with a Latino Santa and a boy band's Christmas album playing too loudly. The larger parent company had rented out a floor of a hotel in Chelsea, giving them a 360-degree view of Manhattan. The city offered wealth to college students in glimpses, but they didn't inhabit livable places. The party was about fashion, food, and celebrity gossip.

The other interns were uniformly blond, round-bred, affable, and Jerry, who had done the hiring, had a type. I was the anomaly. I picked up a shrimp cocktail and tasted it, but I forgot how I felt until I was in the act of eating my next one.

Beside Jerry, there stood a tall and golden-haired man named Matthew. He introduced himself as an intern in the art department, mainly searching for stock photographs or collecting invoices from photographers. Matthew appeared genuinely curious, as though he wanted to continue the conversation. I had processed invoices, verified hotel features, and researched potential photographers for an article about millennium projects, such as the Millennium Wheel, which was being built in London by a husband-and-wife team.

It was likely that this was reality, as I had been wary in the wake of the morning.

At a party, the emcee announces a raffle, and the narrator, a Chinese woman, is disappointed to not win anything. Her cubicle-mate Amy collects a shrink-wrapped Discman, while Matthew collects a forty-inch plasma TV. Matthew offers to help her with the TV, but she refuses, stating that the party wasn't amazing.

The narrator leaves the party, and Matthew picks up the TV and takes her home. He unbuttones his dress shirt and coat, and they talk about the TV's size and its potential value. The weatherman appears, and the narrator is grateful for the TV's size.

Matthew offers the narrator Danish butter cookies as a reward, which she enjoys. His eyes are intense blue, more like ice than water, and his eyes make her think they are real. The narrator admires Matthew's eyes, but regrets that he will soon be gone.

Matthew asks for the narrator's number, and he doesn't say anything for a second. He then takes an empty cereal box from her recycling bin and hands it to her, writing her number down. The narrator realizes that she had said the wrong thing, and now she is coming on to him.

CHAPTER 2

The protagonist wakes up late at night, dressed in a dress from a party, and is surprised to find a stranger who gives her a TV. Matthew proposes a restaurant she has never been to, but she is intrigued by the idea. She calls the number he left and asks if she is paying for the meal. Matthew confirms that he has a dinner reservation made months ago, and she is excited about the experience. She promises to spend the next nine hours getting ready, not obsessing or overthinking, and enjoy the meal without expecting anything more.

The protagonist watches TV, listening to politicians and a Princeton scientist discussing a successful experiment. At six, she wears her favorite black dress, applies makeup, and reflects on herself in the mirror. At seven, she meets Mitchell, an older man who seems to be Matthew's father. Mitchell helps her down the car and takes her to the restaurant. The cold chills her, and she is nervous. Mitchell offers her a nice meal and promises to see her in a bit.

In a restaurant, the narrator meets Matthew, who is seated at the table. They discuss their interests and the wine list, which they share. Matthew asks them to choose based on what they know about each other, but they only know that they like TV and dinner. The narrator is embarrassed by their foreign accent and wonders if they could be mistaken for an escort.

The narrator admits that they don't speak Chinese and wants to prove their American heritage. The sommelier pours a pale yellow wine, tinged green, and the narrator tells Matthew that he works in finance. The meal is served in small courses, including raw clams, shallots, and a miniature chicken.

The narrator is asked about their future after college and is asked about their childhood aspirations. They initially wanted to be an architect, but realized they didn't have the drive to live and breathe architecture like their classmates. They switched their major to art history, realizing that they didn't want to shape a landscape but only observe it.

The protagonist is a twenty-year-old girl who is trying to find a job at a magazine. She meets Matthew, a twenty-seven-year-old man who has attended Columbia, played racquetball, and enjoyed mysteries and biographies. They share a meal together and discuss their childhood memories, including a playground by the water, dogwood trees, and flowers. Matthew mentions Earth as a reminder of their smallness, which the protagonist finds depressing.

The protagonist and Matthew both enjoy TV and dinner, and they both like traveling. Matthew studied abroad in France last year, and the protagonist loves Paris. They discuss their relationship and Matthew admits that he is not good at haggling, which the protagonist finds frustrating. They have a conversation about power and bureaucracy, which the protagonist finds frustrating.

The conversation turns manic as the candle is on its last legs, and the protagonist expresses her frustration with school and bureaucracy. Matthew explains that it's not just about school, but also about the power dynamics in the world. He mentions that arguing with airline employees can lead to less favorable deals for the protagonist's needs.

Matthew asks what the protagonist plans for tomorrow, and she declines. He suggests going to Paris, but the protagonist decides not to go. The conversation ends with the protagonist feeling a sense of guilt and regret for not being more casual with relationships.

On a plane, the narrator and Matthew, a grown-up Frenchman, chatter and cover ground, imagining a romantic journey to Paris with a stranger. They are unsure if they have ever taken a stranger to dinner and then Paris, but they are reassured by turbulence. The narrator reflects on the future, imagining herself in the future, having a fancy dinner and then being taken to Paris platonically. Matthew assures her that they are not going to die, but she remains frightened by the turbulence. The narrator also mentions that the descent and landing are the most dangerous parts of a flight, but the plane lands forcefully, leaving the narrator worried about the possibility of the plane bursting into flames. The narrator fears another terrible ending, as they have evaded one terrible ending.

In the morning, the stewardess welcomes the couple to France, and they exchange customs forms and passports. Matthew, a young and serious boy, greets them and kisses them. They spend the afternoon in a spacious room with fresh flowers and a king-sized canopy bed, surrounded by Notre Dame and the Seine. They kiss and fall asleep, and when they wake up, they are both worried about their appearance and taste. Matthew doesn't ask what the couple wants, and they both laugh.

Matthew's hair smells synthetic roses, and he doesn't use a men's shampoo. He kisses the woman's neck and unwraps a condom, asking if it's okay. They both lay silent, wet with sweat, and laugh.

After leaving the hotel, they head to a bistro in Montmartre. The waiter speaks English, and they share a simple yet perfect meal, which is different from the previous night's complex menu. Matthew suggests that they are not nothing to each other, and the woman feels that this is the beginning of something new. She believes that this will change her life forever.

CHAPTER 3

The narrator, a busy asset manager at an investment bank, receives daily calls from her mother, who reveals that her parents are geneticists. The narrator's father is cheerful and uncomplicated, while her mother is obsessive about her work. The narrator's mother has discovered a mutation that gives clover its fourth leaf, which she believes will make her luck.

The narrator's mother asks