These talents are front and center in the brilliant and hilarious Interior Chinatown, which satirizes the racist imagination and brings us deep into the humanity of those who suffer from-and struggle against-dehumanization.” “I’m a big fan of Charles Yu’s writing because of his wit and inventiveness.

“ sharply observed, darkly humorous evocation of the Asian American experience that blurs the line between performative acts and literal small-screen performances.” The details meticulously crafted, render a universe that feels complete to the touch.” It’s all of those things, but maybe mostly, it’s allegory. a kind of a George Saundersesque alternate reality. Anita Felicelli, San Francisco Chronicle “Interior Chinatown solders together mordant wit and melancholic whimsy to produce a moving exploration of race and assimilation that shouldn’t be missed by intellectually adventurous readers.” “ncisively examines the Asian-American reality of “being perpetual foreigners” in the United States, a minority whose story “will never fit into Black and White.” “Interior Chinatown … recalls the humorous and heartfelt short stories of George Saunders, the metafictional high jinks of Mark Leyner and films like ‘The Truman Show.’” “One of the funniest books of the year has arrived, a delicious, ambitious Hollywood satire.” Club, Lit Hub, Woman’s Day, The Rumpus, Thrillist, and more. Named a Most Anticipated Book by: Entertainment Weekly, Time Magazine, The A.V. Playful but heartfelt, a send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes– Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterful novel yet. Or is it?Īfter stumbling into the spotlight, Willis finds himself launched into a wider world than he’s ever known, discovering not only the secret history of Chinatown, but the buried legacy of his own family, and what that means for him, in today’s America. but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy–the highest aspiration he can imagine for a Chinatown denizen. Every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. PBS NEWSHOUR / NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB PICKįrom the infinitely inventive author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe comes a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.

Chinatown charles yu