White Ivy
Ivy Lin was a thief. But you'd never know it to look at her...
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times Bestseller, November 2020
'White Ivy is magic . . . and not soon to be forgotten' JOSHUA FERRIS, author of Then We Came to the End
'Totally addictive, twisting and twisted: Ivy Lin will get under your skin' ERIN KELLY, author of He Said/She Said
'This is Austen mixed with the hyperreal sharpness of Donna Tartt' Irish Times
Ivy Lin was a thief. But you'd never know it to look at her...
Ivy Lin, a Chinese immigrant growing up in a low-income apartment complex outside Boston, is desperate to assimilate with her American peers. Her parents disapprove, berating her for her mediocre grades and what they see as her lazy, entitled attitude. But Ivy has a secret weapon, her grandmother Meifeng, from whom she learns to shoplift to get the things she needs to fit in.
Ivy develops a taste for winning and for wealth. As an adult, she reconnects with the blond-haired golden boy of a prominent political family, and thinks it's fate. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she's ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the almost-perfect life she's worked so hard to build.
Filled with surprising twists, and offering sharp insights into the immigrant experience, White Ivy is both a love triangle and a coming-of-age story - as well as a dark glimpse at what can happen when we yearn for success at any cost.
MORE PRAISE FOR THIS SPELLBINDING DEBUT NOVEL:
'It's a testament to Susie Yang's skill that she can explore and upend our ideas of class, race, family, and identity while moving us through a plot that twists in such wonderful ways. But none of that would matter nearly as much if not for the truly unforgettable narrator, Ivy...' Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang
'Chock-full of compelling, exciting ideas' New York Times
'The genius of White Ivy is that each plot point of the romance is fulfilled but also undercut by a traumatic pratfall, described in language as bright and scarring as a wound' Los Angeles Times
'Dark and toxic... White Ivy takes a hold of you and doesn't let go. A book I won't forget in a hurry' Harriet Tyce, author of Blood Orange
'Frank, propulsive, clever... One of my favourite novels of the year' Susannah Dickey, author of Tennis Lessons
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nonchalant deceit and reluctant honesty undergird generational struggle in Yang's excellent debut. Ivy Lin doesn't remember her parents' leaving her in China in 1982 when she was two years old to be cared for by her grandmother, Meifeng. But Ivy's cold, unloving reunion with her parents in Boston when she's five makes permanent the chasm already within the family. Only when Meifeng moves as well, two years later, does Ivy find some comfort and companionship. As Ivy grows into a tempestuous 14-year-old, her and Meifeng's trips to Goodwill and yard sales come with lessons in stealing: "give with one hand and take with the other," Meifeng tells her. "No one will be watching both." Then Ivy meets a politician's son, golden boy Gideon Speyer. Her crush on him blossoms into obsession, and after Ivy's parents discover she has been sneaking out with boys from the neighborhood, they send her to spend the summer in China. She returns with renewed resolve to defy her parents' expectations and to become a part of Gideon's life and high-class social circles. After Ivy's mother loses her job, the family relocates to New Jersey, and Ivy spends more time near Gideon after high school. But after Gideon proposes and her presumed happily-ever-after nears, Ivy's past mistakes catch up to her, and she must choose between family and social status. In Ivy, Yang has created an ambitious and sharp yet believably flawed heroine who will win over any reader, and the accomplished plot is layered and full of revelations. This is a beguiling and shattering coming-of-age story.
Customer Reviews
Crosscultural coming of age
3.5 stars
Author
Born in China. Family migrated to the US when she was a child. Doctorate of pharmacy from Rutgers, then launched a tech startup in San Francisco that has taught 20,000 people how to code. Studied creative writing at Tin House and Sackett Street. Debut novel.
Precis
The titular Ivy was born in Chongqing, and spent several years there with her grandmother while her parents established a new life in the US (Boston area). They had a second child by the time they sent for Ivy and her gran to join them. Ivy feels "other" at school, even more so when she gets sent to a private middle school where she gets a free ride because her Dad is their tech guy. Ivy is a tad rebellious, her Gran a tad subversive. Ivy learns to shoplift and steal from her Gran, "feathering her nest" with the accoutrements of American female teenage life, to help ingratiate herself with the cool white kids. She develops a crush on Gideon, a rich boy whose old man is a politician, and goes to a sleepover party for their class at his place without telling her Mum. Big mistake. Our gal gets shipped back to the rellies in Chongqing for a reality check, not the full monty CCP style or anything but it feels like that to her. She comes home to find the family has moved to New Jersey in her absence. Fast forward 15 years. Our gal is a first grade teacher at a Kennedy School in Boston when she runs into Gideon's sister, ingratiates herself with the cool crowd again, yada, yada.
Writing
Crisp, clear, well thought out. Characterisation of Ivy is reasonably good, even though she's not particularly likeable. Most of the others feel a little cliched. The advertised plot twist and turns are insufficient to elevate this to the category of thriller, although they make the ending more interesting.
Bottom line
Another cross cultural coming of age novel. I preferred the ones I've read by Chinese-Australian authors (e.g. Michelle Law, Julie Koh), which I found more relatable.