A review by iffer
Native Speaker by Chang-rae Lee

4.0

This felt...real to me. Yes, the book incorporates a lot of aspects that are considered stereotypical about Asians in America, such as Asian Americans being raised by stoic families, or always living and feeling as perpetual outsiders because of their distinct facial features. However, some of these things are stereotypes because they are common enough to become so, and Chang-rae Lee writes in a nuanced enough way that it works. It feels real. This is the second Chang-rae Lee book that I've read, and his prose, somehow manages to be both lyrical in the feeling that evokes through imagery, and straightforward in its meaning.