Kirjahaku

Named a Must-Read by TIME, Buzzfeed, The Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Fast Company, The Village Voice, Toronto Star, Fortune Magazine, InStyle, and O, The Oprah MagazineA joy to read--I couldn't get enough.--Buzzfeed This novel practically thumps with heartache and sharp humor.--Chang-rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Native Speaker An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone's favorite Chinese restaurant. The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family's controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father's homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy's older brother, Johnny, and Johnny's daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father's absence and a teenager's silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan's son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children. Generous in spirit, unaffected in its intelligence, multi-voiced, poignant, and darkly funny, Number One Chinese Restaurant looks beyond red tablecloths and silkscreen murals to share an unforgettable story about youth and aging, parents and children, and all the ways that our families destroy us while also keeping us grounded and alive.

Named a Must-Read by TIME, Buzzfeed, The Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Fast Company, The Village Voice, Toronto Star, Fortune Magazine, InStyle, and O, The Oprah Magazine"A joy to read--I couldn't get enough."--Buzzfeed "This novel practically thumps with heartache and sharp humor."--Chang-rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Native Speaker An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone's favorite Chinese restaurant. The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family's controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father's homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy's older brother, Johnny, and Johnny's daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father's absence and a teenager's silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan's son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children. Generous in spirit, unaffected in its intelligence, multi-voiced, poignant, and darkly funny, Number One Chinese Restaurant looks beyond red tablecloths and silkscreen murals to share an unforgettable story about youth and aging, parents and children, and all the ways that our families destroy us while also keeping us grounded and alive.

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another. Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian have been told their entire lives that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got A's, and attended a good university--only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed, stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace--once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout--asks to make a documentary about the crew, they say yes. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. But then the video, "Bad Asians," goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, millions of people know them as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control goes off the rails, they are flung even further off course from the lives they'd always imagined. As the video's popularity tears them apart, the friends must face harsh truths about themelseves and coming of age in the new millenium. Lillian Li's novel wryly captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the end of the American dream. An epic tale of friendship and coming of age, Bad Asians asks, Can the same people who made you who you are end up keeping you from who you're meant to be?

Named a Must-Read by TIME, Buzzfeed, The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, and O, The Oprah Magazine 'Action-packed... a compelling family story' USA Today 'Lillian Li is a brilliant young writer and someone to watch' Lorrie Moore The popular Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland has been serving devoted regulars for decades, but behind the staff's professional smiles simmer tensions, heartaches and grudges from decades of bustling restaurant life. Owner Jimmy Han has ambitions for a new high-end fusion place, hoping to eclipse his late father's homely establishment. Jimmy's older brother, Johnny, is more concerned with restoring the dignity of the family name than his faltering relationship with his own teenaged daughter, Annie. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, yearn to turn their thirty-year friendship into something more, while Nan's son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. When disaster strikes and Pat and Annie find themselves in a dangerous game that means tragedy for the Duck House, their families must finally confront the conflicts and loyalties simmering beneath the red and gold lanterns.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION Mixing business and family is a recipe for disaster 'A warm, moving multi-generational family saga, with a blackly comic streak that will make you snort your tea' Sam Baker, The Pool Bedtime Book Club The popular Beijing Duck House has been serving devoted regulars for decades. Yet behind the staff's professional smiles simmer tensions, heartaches and grudges from years of bustling restaurant life. When disaster strikes, two of the younger generation find themselves in a dangerous game that means tragedy for the Duck House. And soon, their families are forced to finally confront the conflicts and loyalties playing out beneath the red and gold lanterns.

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another. Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian have been told their entire lives that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got good grades, and attended a great university-only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed, stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace-once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout-asks to make a documentary about the crew, they say yes. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. But then the video, "Bad Asians," goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, two million people know the members of the group as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control goes off the rails, they are flung even further off course from the lives they'd always imagined. As they grow up and grow apart, the friends desperately try to figure out who they are and what it means to live a successful life in the new millennium. Praise for Bad Asians: 'A sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us-whether we choose them or not. Lillian Li's masterful prose crackles with humor and insight, exploring the language of belonging' Weike Wang, award-winning author of Chemistry 'A richly drawn and emotionally honest novel that explores the complex entanglements between friendship and family, ambition and happiness, and childhood and adulthood' Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls 'The ugly underbelly of internet notoriety-and whether or not it's survivable-is the riveting question Bad Asians explores. Lillian Li is an unsparing observer of our unsparing times' Susan Choi, National Book Award-winning author of Trust Exercise 'With richly drawn characters and fantastic insights into class, upward mobility, parental expectations, and the false promise of the American dream and the toll it takes on those who pursue it, this is an engaging, darkly comic and thoroughly contemporary page-turner-a remarkable novel!' J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another. Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian have been told their entire lives that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got good grades, and attended a great university-only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed, stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace-once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout-asks to make a documentary about the crew, they say yes. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. But then the video, "Bad Asians," goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, two million people know the members of the group as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control goes off the rails, they are flung even further off course from the lives they'd always imagined. As they grow up and grow apart, the friends desperately try to figure out who they are and what it means to live a successful life in the new millennium. Praise for Bad Asians: 'A sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us-whether we choose them or not. Lillian Li's masterful prose crackles with humor and insight, exploring the language of belonging' Weike Wang, award-winning author of Chemistry 'A richly drawn and emotionally honest novel that explores the complex entanglements between friendship and family, ambition and happiness, and childhood and adulthood' Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls 'The ugly underbelly of internet notoriety-and whether or not it's survivable-is the riveting question Bad Asians explores. Lillian Li is an unsparing observer of our unsparing times' Susan Choi, National Book Award-winning author of Trust Exercise 'With richly drawn characters and fantastic insights into class, upward mobility, parental expectations, and the false promise of the American dream and the toll it takes on those who pursue it, this is an engaging, darkly comic and thoroughly contemporary page-turner-a remarkable novel!' J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club