Two things came to mind as I was putting this post together in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander month. One, I’m terrible at geography. I’d think of an author and find out where they or their families are from, and then consult the Google on whether or not that country is part of Asia. Two, that answer was “yes” most of the time, because Asia is freaking huge.
So trying to choose great books by Asian or Asian-American writers is like trying to choose good books with the word “the” in the title—there are just so dang many! So this is by no means a comprehensive list, instead it includes a few of my favorites that I hope you’ll enjoy as well.
Smart, Steamy Romance
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang. This is one of my favorite romance novels, and wow is it a steamy one! While the steaminess made it fun, I loved it because of the characters–you know I love a book with a quirky, smart female lead, and The Kiss Quotient delivered. Of course I adored Stella, but Michael–the male escort she hires to help improve her, um, dating skills–was also such a richly developed character. This was un-put-down-able.
Serious Subject Matter with a Light Touch
Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. I loved this book about a woman who returns home to help her father who is struggling with Alzheimer’s. While the subject matter is serious, I loved Ruth’s wit and quirkiness. I’m not sure all authors could handle this subject matter in a way that manages to be tender, funny, and heartfelt, but Khong does.
Sweeping Family Historical Saga
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This is a multi-generational story of a Korean family. It starts in Korea with a poor yet hard-working couple who own a boardinghouse, whose daughter gets pregnant out of wedlock. The father of the child is already married, but a minister staying at the house decides to marry her. Together they move to Japan. This story explores the dynamics of the family through the years; their secrets, the relationships they have, their struggles, the changes that occur with each generation. However, it also provides insight into something I had never learned about before: the relationship between Japanese and Korean people during the mid-twentieth century. A theme throughout this book is the way that Koreans were viewed as second-class citizens in Japan and were denied the same rights and privileges given to the Japanese. Sounds familiar. While it was the particulars of the family members’ lives rather than the exploration of racial prejudice that kept me engrossed in this book, that layer added a lot of depth to an already well-developed story. This was an excellent book. (If you love a good sweeping family saga, I also highly recommend The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama.)
Thought-Provoking Science Fiction
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy grew up at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school with mysterious rules, strange policies, and teachers, called “guardians,” who were always telling the students how special they are. Kathy narrates the story, which in some ways feels like any other coming-of-age story—many of her thoughts, worries, and friendship dramas are typical of any young person. Yet much of the story is shrouded in mystery and foreboding, and you don’t learn until later why that is, and what it is that makes her and the other Hailsham students special. This was slower-paced, yet deeply intriguing, and one I couldn’t stop thinking about or talking about.
Introspective Novel about Family and Immigrant Experience
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli move from Calcutta to Massachussetts soon after their wedding, where Ashoke adjusts to their new life and his job at a college as an engineering professor, while Ashima misses her family and way of life in India. The Namesake is the story of Ashoke and Ashima’s son, Gogol, and the push and pull of his life trying to fit in as an American and also as part of his Bengali family. I was equally enamored with and frustrated by Gogol, but what was clear was Lahiri’s talent as a writer to completely immerse me in his story and his inner struggles. I recommend this if you like a quiet, introspective novel with a lot of character development, and also like a thorough examination of an immigrant experience in America and how different generations are affected in unique ways.
Great Balance of Humor, Trauma, and Characters to Root For
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood. Anvar Faris grows up in Karachi, Pakistan, but as more and more fundamentalists come to his city, his family decides to leave Pakistan for California. Meanwhile, Safwa lives in Baghdad with her father, whose grief and trauma show up as bruises on his daughter’s skin. Anvar and Safwa’s stories eventually come together thanks to a landlord with a heart of gold and his so-called “good Muslim discount.” While there are heavy themes and trauma in this story, it’s also filled with humor. Despite not always agreeing with their choices, I couldn’t help but root for Anvar and Safwa.
Devastatingly Beautiful Friendship Story
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This is the story of four friends: Willem, Jude, Malcolm, and JB, and their decades-long friendship that began when they were in college. Their friendship with Jude, who is brilliant but haunted by demons from his deeply traumatic childhood, holds them all together, and they are each devoted to him in different ways. This is a beautiful and devastating ode to friendship and love, and despite it being one of the longest books I’ve read in a while, I didn’t want it to end. I adored this book.
Quirky Quarter-Life Crisis Story
Chemistry by Weike Wang. If you’ve experienced that mid-twenties, post-college, what the heck am I doing with my life existential crisis, you might just appreciate Chemistry. The writing is sparse and witty, and Wang tackles real issues with humor and relatability. This book is definitely different, so don’t go in expecting a traditional narrative. However, if you’re in the mood for something a little off the beaten path and can relate to the subject matter (the quarter life crisis, not necessarily the chemistry), I recommend giving this one a try.
Compelling Historical Fiction
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi. I adored this novel about Sitari, the daughter of Afghanistan’s President’s head advisor. She grows up in the halls of Arg, the palace, until 1978, when her life is shattered by a coup that overthrows the government. We see her life in the aftermath of the coup, and then 30 years later, when she’s a surgeon living in New York. This book was engrossing and heartbreaking, and the perfect mix of well-developed characters and a compelling plot. I couldn’t put this down!
Superb Food and Grief Writing
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. This memoir contains so much: Zauner’s identity growing up Korean-American, the grief over losing her mother to cancer, and the love language that she and her mother shared—food. What made her story exceptional to me was the way she seamlessly weaves these parts of her life together. I left this book both hungry and with the desire to go hug my mom.
Dystopian Fiction with Historical Roots
Internment by Samira Ahmed. This story is set in a horrifying near-future United States where Muslims are viewed as a threat by the government and sent to internment camps, similar to what was done to Japanese citizens in World War II. Layla and her family are sent to one such camp, and while her parents want to keep the family safe by not rocking the boat, Layla bravely fights back any way she can. This was an excellent YA novel.
Graphic Memoir of Childhood in Iran
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I’m new to the world of graphic novels, but this graphic memoir made me want to read more of this genre. Persepolis is Satrapi’s story of her childhood in Iran. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough–it was funny, heartbreaking, poignant, unfamiliar at times, and yet totally relatable at others. I recommend this for anyone who loves a good memoir and also wants to check out the graphic novel genre.
Fascinating and Heartbreaking Historical Fiction
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See. I love reading about places or events in history that I’d never heard of, and this story about two best friends from Jeju, a Korean island, and the community where the women are sea divers and earn the money and the men take care of the house and family. I was fascinated to learn about these divers, haenyeo as they are called, and learn some Korean history in the process. The Island of Sea Women spans many decades and we see how the best friends and women divers are affected by colonialism and war. It was not always an easy read, but it was fascinating despite being heartbreaking.
Unique Exploration of Living Outside Society’s Rules
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. Keiko has always been strange and has struggled to fit in among her family and peers at school. As a university student she gets a job at a convenience store, and her family is happy that she is taking steps toward a “normal” life. However, when she continues to hold the same job for years, never giving any indication of advancing her career, her family once again worries about her. Convenience Store Woman explores the expectations that society places on a person, and what happens when someone lives outside those norms. I loved this book because it made me laugh out loud, but also think deeply about the pressure put on women especially to conform, and what happens to a woman when she doesn’t play by society’s rules.
Historical Fiction that Might Destroy You
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It has been years since I’ve read this, so I remember very little about the plot, but I do remember that it absolutely wrecked me. I’ll steal the description straight from bookshop.org: “Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation.” Of the three books I’ve read by Hosseini, this one is my favorite.
One thing to note: I recognize that this list doesn’t contain much representation of Pacific Islander authors. While I do hope to read more from that part of the world, if you’re looking for a book written by a Pacific Islander writer, I recommend this Reading Women podcast episode. I added several from that one to my TBR.
Have you read any of these? What would you add to this list?
