My Rating: 4.5 stars
When I first read the premise for this book, I was really excited — I mean, how often is it that we get to see a heist story written by an Asian author? Though having said that, calling this a heist story is a tad bit inaccurate, as it was so much more than that. To me, the heist part was more of a secondary arc in the story — the core narrative was actually a well-told, nuanced exploration of Chinese-American identity, of colonialism and the repatriation of art, of culture and history, of immigration and the Chinese diaspora, of love and loss and the weight of family expectations, etc. In a sense, the heists were merely a means to an end, a jumping off point for the journey of self-discovery that the five main characters — "the crew" of Will, Irene, Lily, Daniel, and Alex — embark on.
For me, as a member of the Chinese diaspora, this examination of identity and belonging was deeply and wholeheartedly felt. I resonated with different aspects of each character and also recognized the inner struggles that motivated many of their actions. This was also a story about relationships, with its many nuances as well as complexities, and the flawed characters trying to navigate them: with Will and Irene, it's their inability to truly understand each other deep down that creates a sibling love/hate rivalry where they are constantly competing against each other; with Daniel, it's his inability to let go of past loss and hurt that drives a wedge between him and his father; with Alex, it is the weight of family obligation and responsibility, where unspoken expectations affect every decision she makes; with Lily, it's the search for belonging, trying to understand her roots and making something of herself in the hopes that she can stop feeling so adrift. The five of them, each with different insights into the world that drive their motivations, are brought together by a shared culture and an impossible job offer that could change their lives in both good ways and bad.
I really enjoyed this story and of course, since I related to it in a profound way, I highly recommend reading this one — however it's important to go into it with the right expectations. Despite what the people marketing this book would have you believe, this is very much a character-driven story rather than a plot-driven one — which is why, as so many reviews already pointed out, even though this is supposed to be a heist story, there is actually not much "action" that happens. The blurb for the book mentions that this story is "Ocean's Eleven meets The Farewell" — having watched both of those movies, I would say the overall feel of this one, especially with its nuanced exploration of identity and relationships, is closer to The Farewell than the Ocean's franchise. I mention this because it seems that quite a few readers picked this one up expecting an action-packed heist story similar to Ocean's Eleven, but came away disappointed. This is definitely not an action or adventure story…even calling it a thriller is a huge stretch, in my opinion. Regardless though, to me, it was a great story with an interesting premise and endearing (albeit flawed and sometimes frustrating) characters. This was fantastic debut novel and now I can't wait for author Grace D. Li's next book (which I heard is forthcoming very soon)!
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