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A review by yeimyaileen
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
4.0
books like these are hard to read. i loved the contextualization of these events within US news and politics, and i liked how the book's climax is mutli-faceted. not only does lily have to confront being a lesbian in the 50s, but also she has to confront how her identity is tied to the treatment of Chinese americans + red scare politics.
-lily is not simply sent away because she is queer and her family does not accept it, but rather, she is sent away because her identity itself could further endanger her father's immigration status. the links between queerness and american sentiments regarding chinese communism are present in this book. -lily is also sent away because her family wants her to "be happy" and "live a full life," which are things they cannot imagine for lesbians. this is intricately tied to the experience of immigrants, in wanting children to live better lives than they were able to (free of trauma + war).
-lily is not simply sent away because she is queer and her family does not accept it, but rather, she is sent away because her identity itself could further endanger her father's immigration status. the links between queerness and american sentiments regarding chinese communism are present in this book. -lily is also sent away because her family wants her to "be happy" and "live a full life," which are things they cannot imagine for lesbians. this is intricately tied to the experience of immigrants, in wanting children to live better lives than they were able to (free of trauma + war).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: War