Honestly, I'm still gathering my thoughts on this one. I thought this was going to be a book about about a friend dying. In a way, it was. But it was more so about identity and coming to know one's self through adolescence and the feeling of the world being wide open and full of potential in college. Hsu writes about it in a way that feels perfectly nostalgic, playful, and not-shaming of the blind confidence one has in youth. I feel that Hua Hsu so beautifully captures the big emotions felt in little moments with friends, the bold/naïve bravery in which enters into adulthood, and the silly adventures that become the most cherished. Hsu doesn't answer all the questions about authenticity or how we tell stories. But he reflects on how who we are now shapes our memories of history and our history shapes us now; past and present ever conversing in dialogue as the future approaches us. Definitely one I'd like to read again.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Pedophilia, Hate crime, and Rape