BookBrowse Reviews King of the Armadillos by Wendy Chin-Tanner

BookBrowse:

A historical coming-of-age story that deals with stigma, family, community, love and teenage angst in the 1950s.

Wendy Chin-Tanner has authored two poetry collections: Turn and Anyone Will Tell You. Our First Impressions readers awarded King of the Armadillos, her first novel, an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

What the book is about:

In 1954, Chinese American teenager Victor Chin is diagnosed with leprosy (Hansen's disease). Victor lives with his father and brother in New York City, where his father owns a laundry. His mother remains in China caring for elderly relatives. It is decided that Victor will go to a federal institute in Carville, Louisiana (see Beyond the Book) for treatment of his disease due to the stigma, fears and costs of leprosy. During his stay in Carville, Victor finds friends and a first love, and discovers his talent as a pianist. The reader learns about the Carville institute and treatment of Hansen's disease as well as immigration, family dynamics and teenage angst (Cindy B).

Readers found Chin's storytelling engrossing, and were quickly drawn into the plot.

Wendy Chin-Tanner's style is reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Ann Patchett in that she is an excellent storyteller and her command of language envelops you, so much so that I found myself frequently fully engrossed in her world and paid no attention to what was happening around me (Mary S). I had a hard time putting this book down. I needed to find out what happened to Victor, his family and his friends. Chin-Tanner made them real people and I was invested in them from the first pages of this coming-of-age novel (Becky H).

Several specified that King of the Armadillos is more than your typical coming-of-age story.

Although really a coming-of-age story, this book has an added dimension because it has the side story of Hansen's disease included. This brings an interesting and enlightening element (Donna W). I really enjoyed this not-so-typical coming-of-age novel that entails the life of a Chinese teenage immigrant who has to come to terms with not only Hansen's disease but the chaos of feelings that a typical teenager goes through. Throw in the upheaval of moving from the only home and family he knows and any reader will become engulfed in Victor's life through the amazing writing of Wendy Chin-Tanner (Marinel D).

Reviewers seemed to especially appreciate the lesser-known historical details included in the novel…

Although fiction, this coming-of-age novel sheds light on the reality of dealing with a rare, debilitating and feared disease. It is dedicated to the author's father, who was a patient at Carville, where there is today a museum of artifacts on the grounds of the now-closed leprosarium near New Orleans (Laura C). I grew up not far from Carville and often heard stories and rumors about the "leper colony." Reading King of the Armadillos was shocking for me as I had no idea what life was truly like inside the Hansen's facility and figured it was just a locked-down hospital. The description of the treatments and the effects of the disease were eye-opening to say the least! (Margot P).

…and thought it would be a great selection for a book discussion.

There are so many layers in this book and much to discuss. Discussion topics could include the historical aspect of a dreaded, shameful disease, discrimination, cultural characteristics, family — both biological and found — the angst of adolescence, and emerging stronger than you were. This would make a great book club read! (Carol R). This book would make a great book club selection because of the large number of themes and topics to explore in discussion. There is a great opportunity for the facilitator to present additional information about Hansen's disease — historical information as well as current-day treatment. Themes include family relationships, secrets/sacrifice, medical ethics, societal discrimination and group dynamics, among numerous others! (Judy G).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in July 2023, and has been updated for the September 2024 edition. Click here to go to this issue.