Lillian Li – författare

Named a Must-Read by TIME, Buzzfeed, The Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Fast Company, The Village Voice, Toronto Star, Fortune Magazine, InStyle, and O, The Oprah Magazine"A joy to read—I couldn''t get enough."—Buzzfeed"This novel practically thumps with heartache and sharp humor."—Chang-rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Native Speaker An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone’s favorite Chinese restaurant.The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family’s controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father’s homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy’s older brother, Johnny, and Johnny’s daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father’s absence and a teenager’s silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan’s son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children. Generous in spirit, unaffected in its intelligence, multi-voiced, poignant, and darkly funny, Number One Chinese Restaurant looks beyond red tablecloths and silkscreen murals to share an unforgettable story about youth and aging, parents and children, and all the ways that our families destroy us while also keeping us grounded and alive.

Named a Must-Read by TIME, Buzzfeed, The Wall Street Journal, Star Tribune, Fast Company, The Village Voice, Toronto Star, Fortune Magazine, InStyle, and O, The Oprah Magazine"A joy to read—I couldn't get enough."—Buzzfeed"This novel practically thumps with heartache and sharp humor."—Chang-rae Lee, New York Times bestselling author of Native Speaker An exuberant and wise multigenerational debut novel about the complicated lives and loves of people working in everyone’s favorite Chinese restaurant.The Beijing Duck House in Rockville, Maryland, is not only a beloved go-to setting for hunger pangs and celebrations; it is its own world, inhabited by waiters and kitchen staff who have been fighting, loving, and aging within its walls for decades. When disaster strikes, this working family’s controlled chaos is set loose, forcing each character to confront the conflicts that fast-paced restaurant life has kept at bay. Owner Jimmy Han hopes to leave his late father’s homespun establishment for a fancier one. Jimmy’s older brother, Johnny, and Johnny’s daughter, Annie, ache to return to a time before a father’s absence and a teenager’s silence pushed them apart. Nan and Ah-Jack, longtime Duck House employees, are tempted to turn their thirty-year friendship into something else, even as Nan’s son, Pat, struggles to stay out of trouble. And when Pat and Annie, caught in a mix of youthful lust and boredom, find themselves in a dangerous game that implicates them in the Duck House tragedy, their families must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice to help their children. Generous in spirit, unaffected in its intelligence, multi-voiced, poignant, and darkly funny, Number One Chinese Restaurant looks beyond red tablecloths and silkscreen murals to share an unforgettable story about youth and aging, parents and children, and all the ways that our families destroy us while also keeping us grounded and alive.

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another.Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian were always told that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got A's, and attended a good university-only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Now, despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed and stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace-once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout-asks to make a documentary about the crew, they agree. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. But then the video, Bad Asians, goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, millions of people know them as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control further derails their plans for the lives they'd always imagined, the friends must face harsh truths about themselves and coming of age in the new millennium. Lillian Li's novel wryly captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the end of the American dream. An epic tale of friendship and family, Bad Asians asks, Can the same people who made you who you are end up keeping you from who you're meant to be?

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another.Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian were always told that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got A's, and attended a good university-only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Now, despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed and stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace-once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout-asks to make a documentary about the crew, they agree. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. But then the video, Bad Asians, goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, millions of people know them as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control further derails their plans for the lives they'd always imagined, the friends must face harsh truths about themselves and coming of age in the new millennium. Lillian Li's novel wryly captures a generation shaped by the rise of the internet and the end of the American dream. An epic tale of friendship and family, Bad Asians asks, Can the same people who made you who you are end up keeping you from who you're meant to be?

'A smart, engrossing, beautifully observed examination of millennial friendship, social media and generational differences' Francesca Hornak, author of So Good to See You

Diana, Justin, Errol and Vivian have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They did everything their strict parents asked: studied hard, attended good universities, only to end up back in their childhood bedrooms with no jobs in sight.

So when Grace - neighbourhood golden girl turned Harvard Law dropout - asks to make a documentary about their post-grad limbo, they agree. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. Until it does. Overnight, the video goes viral, catapulting their most cringeworthy moments to internet stardom and turning private confessions into public punchlines.

Eight years later, can the video that broke them apart also bring them back together? And is it too late to build the lives they once dreamed of?

Razor-sharp and emotionally resonant, Bad Asians is a story of youth, ambition and growing up online - a moving exploration of the friendships that will always feel like home.

PRAISE FOR BAD ASIANS:

'A sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us' Weike Wang, author of Rental House

'Captures the tenderness and mess of youth. A book that reminds us how little we know about the people we treasure most' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days

'A wild, propulsive ride of a novel that explores the damaging spiral of social media fame with razor-sharp observations' Emma Nanami Strenner, author of The Other Heart

'A story for all the formerly "gifted and talented kids". . . offers a delightful dose of nostalgia - and an affecting interrogation of the personas we put on, both online and in real life' Katie Yee, author of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar

'A smart, engrossing, beautifully observed examination of millennial friendship, social media and generational differences' Francesca Hornak, author of So Good to See You

Diana, Justin, Errol and Vivian have been best friends for as long as they can remember. They did everything their strict parents asked: studied hard, attended good universities, only to end up back in their childhood bedrooms with no jobs in sight.

So when Grace - neighbourhood golden girl turned Harvard Law dropout - asks to make a documentary about their post-grad limbo, they agree. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day. Until it does. Overnight, the video goes viral, catapulting their most cringeworthy moments to internet stardom and turning private confessions into public punchlines.

Eight years later, can the video that broke them apart also bring them back together? And is it too late to build the lives they once dreamed of?

Razor-sharp and emotionally resonant, Bad Asians is a story of youth, ambition and growing up online - a moving exploration of the friendships that will always feel like home.

PRAISE FOR BAD ASIANS:

'A sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us' Weike Wang, author of Rental House

'Captures the tenderness and mess of youth. A book that reminds us how little we know about the people we treasure most' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Starling Days

'A wild, propulsive ride of a novel that explores the damaging spiral of social media fame with razor-sharp observations' Emma Nanami Strenner, author of The Other Heart

'A story for all the formerly "gifted and talented kids". . . offers a delightful dose of nostalgia - and an affecting interrogation of the personas we put on, both online and in real life' Katie Yee, author of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar

From the acclaimed author of Number One Chinese Restaurant comes an affecting novel about an unforgettable group of friends trying to make their way in the world without losing themselves, or one another.

Diana, Justin, Errol, and Vivian have been told their entire lives that success is guaranteed by following a simple checklist. They worked hard, got good grades, and attended a great university-only to graduate into the Great Recession of 2008. Despite their newly minted degrees, they're unemployed, stuck again under their parents' roofs in a hypercompetitive Chinese American community. So when Grace-once the neighborhood golden child, now a Harvard Law School dropout-asks to make a documentary about the crew, they say yes. It's not like her little movie will ever see the light of day.

But then the video, "Bad Asians," goes viral on an up-and-coming media platform (YouTube, anyone?). Suddenly, two million people know the members of the group as cruel caricatures, each full of pent-up frustrations with the others. And after a desperate attempt at spin control goes off the rails, they are flung even further off course from the lives they'd always imagined. As they grow up and grow apart, the friends desperately try to figure out who they are and what it means to live a successful life in the new millennium.

Praise for Bad Asians:

'A sharp, propulsive novel about ambition, identity, and the bonds that shape us-whether we choose them or not. Lillian Li's masterful prose crackles with humor and insight, exploring the language of belonging' Weike Wang, award-winning author of Chemistry

'A richly drawn and emotionally honest novel that explores the complex entanglements between friendship and family, ambition and happiness, and childhood and adulthood' Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling author of Happiness Falls

'The ugly underbelly of internet notoriety-and whether or not it's survivable-is the riveting question Bad Asians explores. Lillian Li is an unsparing observer of our unsparing times' Susan Choi, National Book Award-winning author of Trust Exercise

'With richly drawn characters and fantastic insights into class, upward mobility, parental expectations, and the false promise of the American dream and the toll it takes on those who pursue it, this is an engaging, darkly comic and thoroughly contemporary page-turner-a remarkable novel!' J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club