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Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu

Reviewed by Galen Strickland
Posted December 2, 2024

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I had heard of this book but didn't read it until after watching the new series adaptation on Hulu, but I'm reviewing it first. I believe it has been described as a satire, and if so it is of two different things: the cliches and tropes within television shows, and the immigrant experience. The people who live in Chinatown know they have a small role within the overall society in which they reside, but they are hopeful of more substantial roles in the future. If they are lucky they will get a recurring part, or if extremely lucky, a starring, or at least co-starring role. Until then they have to settle for Generic Asian Man, or Striving Immigrant, Disgraced Son, Delivery Guy, or Guy Who Runs In and Gets Kicked in the Face. The same applies for women and girls, just background players, usually with no dialogue, or if a speaking part it is minimal. Pretty Oriental Flower, Young Asian Seductress, or Dragon Lady. If you are merely Restaurant Hostess, Girl with the Almond Eyes, or Old Asian Woman, no one will hear your voice. You may dream of a bigger part, a chance to break out and be recognized as your true self, beyond all the stereotypes, but will it ever happen?

This is also a generic Chinatown. Could be New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or wherever there is a large, segregated Asian population. Some who live there aren't even Chinese; could be Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, but all the particulars still apply. The TV show within the story is a police procedural, which presents a nominal inclusiveness. Black and White: Impossible Crimes Unit. The stars are two detectives; Miles Turner, who is black, and his white partner, Sarah Green. Several scenes repeat with variable dialogue, sometimes after a script rewrite, or a reshoot due to flubbed lines. The background players change too. One time it might be Old Asian Guy (who pretends he doesn't understand English), or it is nondescript waitstaff, or Delivery Guy. The latter is Willis Wu, the Old Asian Guy is his father. If Restaurant Hostess is in the scene, it would be Willis' mother, who had hoped for a career in real estate. The father had been a martial arts teacher in his younger days, but that was long ago. Willis wanted a bigger role in the show. He wanted to be Kung Fu Guy, to be a true partner to Turner and Green, to fight the bad guys. When he gets the chance he is not successful, or not successful enough. Sadly, that is not the way things work on TV, or in America. Even Turner's success is limited due to his race. Same as it ever was.

A lot of the book is written in screenplay format, with dialogue tags and occasional description of the setting. Other sections are more exposition; Willis ruminating on his life, his dreams, and his frustrations. Things begin to change when he notices Attractive Officer, who he also sees in a later scene as an undercover cop, and he learns her name: Karen Lee. He knows he is not good enough for her, and doesn't believe it when she says she wants to date. A real date, not part of the show. Will it work? Will it help him break out of his shell? Should he cultivate the relationship to help get a larger role in the show? Could he really be Kung Fu Guy? And if that happens, will it help or harm their relationship? What if she gets a starring role before him, will that impact his self-esteem? Unfortunately, in Chinatown as in so many other places, misogyny is a problem.

Charles Yu wrote the book partly to recognize his parents' struggles as immigrants from Taiwan, as well as his children's experiences in America. Later in the book he lists various anti-immigrant legislation, most of which was directed towards the Chinese. Whether or not Yu thinks so, I say he has broken out of the stereotypes. He has degrees in biology from UC Berkeley, a Juris Doctorate from Columbia, working as attorney at several prominent firms, but now is a full-time writer. Interior Chinatown is his second novel, winner of the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction. You may have seen some of the shows he has written for: Westworld, Legion, Lodge 49, Here and Now, Sorry for Your Loss, and American Born Chinese. He is also the creator, executive producer, showrunner, and a writer for the Hulu series adaptation of Interior Chinatown. Both the book and show are highly recommended.

 

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Author
Charles Yu

Published
January 28, 2020

Awards
Winner of:
National Book Award for Fiction

Shortlisted for:
Prix Médicis étranger

Longlisted for:
Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction

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Bookshop

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