Real Americans

This is such a special book and my first A+ fiction book in a little bit. The way that I am describing it is going to sound a little bit boring but I am trying to describe it in a way that doesn’t give it away. Trust me on this one, I could not put it down! It’s a generational story that begins in the late nineties in New York City. Lily Che is 22, struggling as an unpaid intern for a media company. When she meets Matthew (heir to a pharmaceutical empire) they bond, despite their differences… ultimately falling in love. Fast forward twenty or so years and Nick Chen is fifteen years old, living on an island outside of Seattle. He knows he’s half Asian but looks nothing like his mother. He knows nothing about his father and constantly feels like an outsider, like he does not belong. When his best friend pushes him to take a DNA test, he gets new answers (which leads to more questions). We follow Nick through college and into adulthood and we also learn about Nick’s grandmother (Lily’s mother) and the difficult decisions she made. I will say no more, just trust me on this one – it is a must-read. My first real book hangover in quite a bit.