There's been a lot of buzz about Susie Yang's debut novel White Ivy (#961), and after reading it, I think it's well-deserved.
Ivy Lin, born in China, is brought to the United States as a young child. The novel revolves around her efforts to fit in; with her American classmates in school, with her parents' expectations, and to cultivate the perfect image for herself. Whether or not she achieves her goals is left up to the reader to decide.
Ivy is not a particularly admirable character as she strives to climb the ladder, but she is relatable. There's a bit of Ivy in all of us. What brings the novel to a head is when Ivy is caught in the middle of a love triangle; will she choose perfect WASP Gideon, scion of New England aristocracy, or will she opt for bad boy Roux, whom she's known for years?
White Ivy is hard to put down, so it meets my criteria for a great read.
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