Yellow face

Synopsis: June Hayward and Athena Liu have been friends (sort of) since college. The two young women are authors of varying success. Athena’s work has reached critical acclaim and brought her financial success while June’s debut flopped. So when Athena chokes and dies in her apartment, and June is the only witness, she acts on impulse, stealing Athena’s latest manuscript—a wildly unedited manuscript about Chinese migrant workers in labor camps during World War I. June edits, adds, rewrites, and takes the novel to her agent presenting it as her own work. It’s a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive…..

Review: This one was almost perfect! First of all, COMPLETELY entertaining. Is she going to get away with it? But underneath the unreliable narrator, is a grisly, hilarious, satirical commentary on publishing. June is self absorbed, and a dishonest manipulator who always has an excuse ready for for you, but more importantly, for herself as she justifies her theft. And yet, I was kind of rooting for her? OK author Kuang, I totally fell for your bit. It adds to the fun that Athena is not all that likeable herself. There’s a LOT to think about in this novel, and that’s what makes it great.

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: Pandan pancakes. I really don’t want to say more, until you read the book! Pandan is a plant, whose extract has notes of vanilla, coconut and rose. It imparts a green tinge to baked goods, and can generally be substituted for vanilla as desired in sweet dishes.

3 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pandan extract

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1) Mix the wet ingredients

2) Mix the dry ingredients

3) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Let batter rest 5-10 minutes.

4) Cook pancakes in a nonstick skillet then serve with butter, maple syrup and toasted coconut.