I have loved some of Vo’s other novellas and so I was so excited for this queer Asian retelling of The Great Gatsby – which was a book I really did not enjoy ever since my first reading of it. The Chosen and the Beautiful broke my heart because I wanted so much more from it. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.) She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society-she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. The protagonist’s casual observations of magic and passing references to demons feel at home in the raging party scene of the 1920s. What makes “The Chosen and the Beautiful” so fascinating is how Vo expertly weaves in the fantasy elements in such a delicate manner that it feels like a natural part of the story. Through Vo’s novel, readers can return to the world of Gatsby through the fever-dream veil of the fantasy that Vo has woven through the classic tale. Vo’s spin on the classic Jazz Age tale offers a new glimpse into Gatsby’s character and adds dimension to Nick, the original tale’s narrator. That puzzles her until she meets someone else who can do the same thing, which forces her to reflect on her early childhood. As she spends her summer drinking with Daisy and flirting with Nick, Jordan tries to avoid the cloying and all-too-powerful nature of Jay Gatsby.Īt the same time, Jordan finds that she has a strange skill that allows her to bring paper figures to life.
Vo injects an air of fantasy into Fitzgerald’s classic, as Jordan moves through a world that doesn’t quite accept her due to her Vietnamese heritage and queer identity. Vo’s novel revolves around Jordan Baker, who was raised and lives among the wealthy set during the Jazz Age, despite not quite fitting in with the rest of the group. Readers who love the glitz of “The Great Gatsby” might enjoy Nghi Vo’s debut novel “The Chosen and the Beautiful,” which revisits the captivating world of Gatsby.
0 kommentar(er)
