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There are currently 20 member reviews
for Paper Names
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Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)
Continuity? No.
I think I should have enjoyed this book more than I did. The subject was interesting and the story well told by this first time novelist. The characters were well depicted and individualized, as they should be. A Chinese engineer gives up his successful career, by Chinese standards, to move his family to NYC and become a doorman. His daughter we follow from age 9 to graduation from Harvard and a successful career, struggling throughout with the contrast between her father's old country mores and her own experiences growing up in America. And then there is the rich lawyer who lives in the building where the engineer cum doorman works, and who becomes a mentor of sorts to the daughter after a random act brings the characters together into a years long relationship. There is love, family drama, trauma, poor decisions, shady backgrounds.
The story didn't flow for me. I did not like the way it jumped around from person to person as well as backward and forward in time. I think that is why I did not enjoy this book as well as many did, hence the Good rating.
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Lee L. (Los Angeles, CA)
Paper Names
Going into Susie Luo's debut novel Paper Names, I knew to expect an immigrant story, as I gathered as much from reading the summary and a couple reviews beforehand. However, what I wasn't expecting was an immigrant story that would be so different from what I've read in the past.
To start off, the structure of the story was quite unique. Told from the perspectives of three main characters — Tony, Tammy, and Oliver — the narrative alternated not just between the characters, but also between multiple timelines in a non-linear, non-chronological fashion. In addition, the narrative also switched back and forth between first and third person depending on which character's perspective the story was being told from (all of Tammy's chapters were in first person). Normally, this type of structure would be difficult to follow, but it actually worked well in this instance, as I found the story flowed pretty seamlessly from one perspective to another.
As the Chinese daughter of immigrant parents, I thought I would resonate with Tammy's perspective the most, but I actually found that I also related quite a bit to Tony's story as well. In fact, this was one of the areas that made this particular immigrant story different from others — through Tony, we got to hear the immigrant parents' perspective and how the decision to leave their country for a foreign one impacted them. I appreciated the way this structure gave a fuller, more well-rounded picture of the immigrant struggle, which also made the story more powerful, in my opinion. For me, Tony's story arc was the most moving, but more importantly, it gave me better perspective on my own parents' struggles back in the day and how the decision to immigrate ended up shaping their lives. The chapters told from Oliver's perspective were well-done too, but unsurprisingly, his story arc was one I couldn't relate as much to.
There is so much more I could say about this story, but I think it would have more of an impact experiencing it for one's self. One thing to note though is that this was a contemplative, reflective story where there was not much action save for a few pivotal scenes — one that unfolded slowly, with particular focus on the characters' thoughts and feelings. I mention this because a quiet story such as this one, coupled with an unconventional structure and a timeline that jumps around, might not work for everyone, so a heads up just in case. Overall, this was a solid debut and I look forward to reading more from Luo in the future.
Received ARC from Hanover Square Press via BookBrowse First Impressions program.
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Cassandra W. (Alameda, CA)
Great Debut Novel
"Paper Names" is a debut novel, written by Susie Luo, which I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend.
The story is told through the viewpoints of three people: Tony, a Chinese immigrant, his daughter Tammy and Oliver, a white lawyer who lives in the building where Tony works as a doorman. The settings are in New York and China over three decades.
Each chapter is devoted to one of the characters which enables the reader to understand who is speaking and what their experiences were. I felt that the characters were well developed, but I thought the emotions and realities of Tony's immigrant experience were particularly well written.
The author's writing style was concise and moved her narrative forward. She adeptly captures what it means to be Chinese living in the United States whether one is an immigrant or First Generation.
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Mitzi K. (Cumming, GA)
Wonderful, Tightly Written Debut!
Paper Names by Susie Luo is a wonderful debut that examines the immigrant experience. Two families become tied together for decades after a violent attack. The things that motivate them and the choices they make have generational impact. I enjoyed this fast-paced, tightly written novel and look forward to seeing what the author writes next!
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Wendy F. (Kalamazoo, MI)
Paper Names
A touching story of an immigrant family in search of the "American Dream". At each step they face racism, otherism, and difficulty. Characters are well developed and you see the strengths and weaknesses that they each encounter along the way. Parents who are just trying to make a better life for their child sacrifice career and their own lives. The mistakes they make to give Tammy success in this new country are heartbreaking. A truly beautiful story.
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Sharon J. (Raleigh, NC)
Paper Names
Paper Names is an apt title for the story where the characters identities and relationships were ever changing. Two families, the Zhangs who immigrated from China and the Agos a wealthy family with generational wealth, both did anything for their families to succeed. The characters are very well developed and the plot moves quickly through time drawing the reader into the intertwining of the families. I appreciated the ongoing struggle each character had to move away from their heritage while yearning to know more about their secret past. I would recommend Paper Names to readers that like cultural stories and family dramas.
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Melissa C. (Saint Johns, FL)
An Enjoyable and Easy Read
I really enjoyed this book about a Chinese American immigrant family told from the perspective of different characters. The characters are well-developed and complex and are faced with very real challenges - both in their past and presently. The ending caught me by surprise, and made me reflect and question how people, including myself, would deal with such a tragic situation.
It was a very easy read, even though some of the topics are not light fare, and I found the author's writing style straightforward, clear and detailed.
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