*A Reader's Digest Best Book of 2023*
*A Publishers Lunch Buzz Book*
An unexpected act of violence brings together a Chinese-American
family and a wealthy white lawyer in this propulsive and sweeping story
of family, identity and the American experience--for fans of Jean Kwok,
Mary Beth Keane and Naima Coster.
Set in New York and China over three decades*,* Paper Names explores
what it means to be American from three different perspectives. There's
Tony, a Chinese-born engineer turned Manhattan doorman, who immigrated
to the United States to give his family a better life. His daughter,
Tammy, who we meet at age nine and follow through adulthood, and who
grapples with the expectations of a first generation American and her
own personal desires. Finally, there's Oliver, a handsome white lawyer
with a dark family secret and who lives in the building where Tony
works. A violent attack causes their lives to intertwine in ways that
will change them forever.
Taut, panoramic and powerful, debut novelist Susie Luo's Paper Names
is an unforgettable story about the long shadows of our parents, the
ripple effect of our decisions and the ways in which our love transcends
difference.