Rachel Khong

Science paired with the lure of consumer choice leads to heartbreaking consequences in Real Americans.

A female biologist believes genetic research will allow parents to suppress unwanted genes to make a perfect, healthy, baby. She escapes Communist China and the horror of the Cultural Revolution with a fellow scientist, leaving behind her true love. They resume their research in the United States.

Their daughter Lily resists her parents’ expectations to live a purposeful life in science, and while an intern in New York City meets a man from a wealthy and influential family. To Lily’s surprise, as different as they are, he falls in love with her and they marry. But soon after the birth of their child, blonde and blue eyed like his father, Lily discovers secrets that drive her into a secluded, off-the-grid life with her son.

Years late, Nick can’t wait to leave home and his mother’s nearly suffocating love. His best friend encouraged him to take a DNA test to learn more about a father his mother has never talked about. His journey brings division and finally understanding.

This big, intergenerational family saga is a real page-turner, touching on so many issues and ideas. I especially appreciated understanding the changes in China under Mao, and the experience of being an American born Chinese American. The idea of genetic modification to eliminate disease and specific traits feels all too relevant as genetic research advances. Should we have such choices? This novel explores the psychological impact of such choices.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book… (mehr)

Rachel Khong’s Real Americans holds a secret…the first part begins like a million other books I’ve read in the last 10 years — a self-involved young woman, Lily, struggling with her identity, etc. But then, Part 2 begins and readers find themselves in the life of a teenage boy. We soon realize the connection to Lily, and Real Americans expands into a book about a lot more than a navel-gazing young woman. This is a book about belonging, coming-of-age, science, wealth, and family written with skill and the confidence to leave gaps for readers to fill in themselves. In fact, when Khong tries to explain too much she produces the weakest section of the novel which reads like mediocre historical fiction, but I’m willing to overlook it as part of the whole. Real Americans is excellent contemporary literary fiction for readers of Celeste Ng, Brit Bennett, and Kiley Reid.… (mehr)

I’m noticing a trend in contemporary books these days. Written in super short sections (sometimes no longer than a sentence or two), and told in a series of slice of life vignettes that add up to nothing really happening for hundreds of pages on end, these books are supposed to explore relationships and humanity but ultimately end up being tedious, pretentious, and impossible to get into.

I know that sounds like I hated GOODBYE, VITAMIN, and I really didn’t. I thought it was an OK book that would have benefited greatly from an actual plot. Instead we’re given random observations and glimpses of a mundane life lived in a mundane way. And there’s never anything interesting about Mary Sue characters going about their boring little lives.

There were a number of well-written, heartrending scenes. There were a few genuine chuckles, too. The problem was that these were all few and far between, and the bits in between were tedious and disjointed. All the random observations and the “did-you-know” conversations made little sense and had no purpose in the end.

The book is written in a stream-of-consciousness, diary style, but I was puzzled by the anecdotes the author chose to put in, because no one I know would ever write a diary this way: filled with really boring and unnecessary observations. For example: “Once a man talking to a mail slot turned to me and told me he was an angel.” Or: “In a tabloid in the waiting room I read that Blake Lively’s mother, lacking blush, once licked an Advil and rubbed its pink on her cheeks.” Umm… what, now?

There were some good things about this book, though. In particular, the snippets from the notebook Ruth’s dad kept of her childhood are often incredibly touching. But I wanted to know more about Ruth’s mom, who was at once maddening and endearing. I had so many questions about her and her choices when the book ended, none of which were answered.

Overall, this is a decently written book, but there’s no plot or any sense of a real narrative flow.… (mehr)