Real Americans (Hardback)
  • Real Americans (Hardback)
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Real Americans (Hardback)

(author)
£16.99
Hardback 416 Pages
Published: 30/04/2024
  • 10+ in stock

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Waterstones Says

A sublimely multilayered exploration of both the American psyche and the American dream, Kong's multi-generational epic following one Chinese-American family is a soaring, heartfelt story about fate, fortune and the meaning of home.

How far will we go to belong?

On the precipice of Y2K, unpaid intern Lily Chen is attempting to live the American dream in New York City. But her scientist parents imagined so much more for her when they fled Mao's cultural revolution, hoping for a better life. Despite the glamour of her media job, Lily can barely make rent - until she falls into the arms of Matthew. This young financier can give her a fairy tale life of luxury, and for the first time her dreams appear within reach.

High school student Nick Chen and his best friend Timothy are plotting to break free. College promises escape from an isolated and close-knit island in Washington State, space from his strict and secretive mum Lily, and the chance to finally fit in. But when Nick sets out to find his long-lost father, a world of questions opens, and it is one unexpected member of the Chen family who holds the key to it all.

Real Americans is a family epic about identity, sacrifice, choices and fate. It is a wildly imaginative and profound story of betrayal and forgiveness that asks us how far we should go for those we love.

Publisher: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9781529153705
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 641 g
Dimensions: 243 x 165 x 37 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

Real Americans traverses time with verve and feeling. Khong captures how people can be strange to themselves, how bewilderment can be a site of creation (or change, or becoming) - Raven Leilani

Aglow with love in its many forms, suffused with questions of where-and to whom-we belong, Real Americans is a book of rare charm. Khong untangles the roots of family with a wry, tender attention that will leave readers as comforted as they are challenged - C Pam Zhang

Gorgeous, heartfelt, soaring, philosophical and deft, Real Americans turns the multigenerational novel inside out. Fate, honesty, our bargains with life. You will keep turning it over and over in your mind - Andrew Sean Greer

Real Americans is a truly special novel. It’s an elegant portrait of how we disappoint those we love, despite trying our best, and how attempts to tame humanity misunderstand its complexity. Khong masterfully unfolds each character before us, revealing their dreams and regrets, and their undying hope for better. - Nicola Dinan, author of Bellies

Real Americans is a grand novel that explores the American psyche, dramatizing the fundamental American belief in the ability to change the world and improve humanity. Rachel Khong shows infinite and colorful perceptions of the world, which are often leavened with wisdom. Besides being a page turner, this book is also an eye-opener, imaginative and exhilarating - Ha Jin

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“A ambitious and wonderful novel”

Two years ago I read Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong and it was one of my favourite reads of 2022. When I saw her latest novel, Real Americans, was available, I didn’t hesitate to request it.

Real Americans, a... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 9

“Utterly gripping, an incredible novel!”

This book was absolutely PHENOMENAL. It has occupied my thoughts and all of my brain space whilst I’ve been reading it and as a result I have achieved very little other than reading this in the last few days!
It’s... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 7

“Ambitious tale of family across cultures, with an interesting scientific slant”

Three generations, well meaning but misguided science, and the years of poverty and terror in China all add up to a wide ranging and complicated story of failed relationships and mixed race angst.
This should capture... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 7

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