Paper Names Review

Warning, this review contains spoilers.

I got this book after attending a book signing event at work. The author, Susie Luo, was invited to talk since she recently wrote this book and because it is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

This book is a fiction book centered around the lives of three people: Tammy, Tony, and Oliver. The story is constructed by following each of these characters at various times and places as they struggle with work, family, hardships, and new experiences. Each chapter is focused on one of these three character’s point of view. Tony is a Chinese immigrant who left his life as a successful engineer to live in Flushing, New York, in order to earn more money, break through the “ceilings” in China, and to provide a better life for his daughter Tammy. Oliver is a Caucasian man who lives in an expensive apartment in Manhattan’s Upper West Side called the Rosewood. He’s a partner at a law firm and meets Tony when he is working as a doorman at the Rosewood.

I thought the book was really easy to read and I flew through the book in a few days. Even though the book has Chinese pinyin scattered throughout, the English translations followed right behind the Chinese to provide the necessary context. Luo mentioned that she wanted this book to be able to resonate with all audiences, not just Asian American audiences, and I think that it does to a certain extent. The first few chapters made me think I was reading a generic Chinese immigrant story, but there were some wild twists and turns. This book has something for everyone, but it is still heavily slanted towards the Chinese American experience.

The descriptions of the Chinese American experience were realistic. Getting teased at school for bringing “ethnic” food for lunch, getting passed up for raises and promotions at work, getting taken advantage of due to the language barrier and differences in culture. Tony and his wife’s perspective about America and its people were realistic as well. They shared the mindset that they were outsiders and should keep their heads down and work as hard as possible in order to achieve the things they want in life. Fortunately for them, they were highly educated in China, so they could pull from their experiences to move up the ladder. They also admired the American people, especially the rich and successful ones.

Although I enjoyed reading the book, the plot was a bit problematic for me. One issue I have is that there are aspects of “white worshipping”. The main white people in the book were Oliver, Clara (a wealthy former actress living in the Rosewoord), and Vince (college classmate who becomes Tammy’s boyfriend/fiance). Each of them were very wealthy and generally good people, so that could explain why the other characters treated them with so much reverence. However, there is a sense that Tony and his family wanted to act like them, live like them, be like them, be them.

Another issue I have with the plot is that there is a love interest between Oliver and Tammy. Oliver meets Tammy when he is 26 and she is 9. Oliver offers to give her piano lessons after hearing her play at Clara’s apartment and Oliver continues to provide a mentoring in her life with piano, school, and work. When Tammy grows up, she graduates from Harvard and joins Oliver’s law firm. Even when Tammy was a child, Oliver felt a drawn to Tammy. There was no indication that he was sexually attracted to her as a child, but there were numerous instances where he was sexually attracted to her after she turned 18. Although not explicitly written this way, Oliver introduces Vince to Tammy in an attempt to suppress his desires. Tammy goes through with dating Vince since he has “kind eyes”, but later in life breaks off the engagement because of a tragic event in her life and the realization that she loves Oliver. I’m not saying that this is an example of grooming, but that’s the feeling I got when I read the book.

The final issue I had with the plot actually resolved itself in a satisfactory manner at the end of the book. But while it was unfolding before my eyes, it was pretty messed up. To summarize, Tony entrusts his daughter Tammy to Oliver to teach her how to play the piano. Oliver and Tammy form a strong bond that turns into love, despite the age difference. Oliver is in the car that kills Tony, and Oliver flees the scene. Tammy is devastated, bawling in the hospital, and calls Oliver to tell him the news. Oliver comes and consoles her at the hospital, kisses her for the first time, promises to stay with her, and does not tell anyone about his involvement in the hit-and-run. After I read this, I had to put the book down and mentally recover. Thankfully, the series of events ends with Oliver confessing to Tammy that he was in the car during the hit-and-run and Tammy reports him to the police. Before reporting Oliver to the police, Tammy and Oliver both say that they love each other and the book ends without discussing whether Oliver gets convicted. Tammy mentions that she’ll never forgive him, but it’s not explicitly written that she doesn’t love him anymore.

Would I recommend this book to someone else? I’m not sure. Definitely an exciting story and it shares a lot of perspectives about the Chinese immigrant experience and what it is like growing up as a first generation Chinese American. However, the plot might be a bit too wild for me to recommend to others. Despite that, this was Luo’s first published book and I look forward to reading other books from her in the future.