About
Set in New York and China over three decades, Paper Names explores what it means to be American from three different perspectives. There's Tony, a Chinese-born engineer turned Manhattan doorman who immigrated to the United States to give his family a better life. His daughter, Tammy, who we meet at age nine and follow through adulthood, and who grapples with the expectations of a first-generation American and her own personal desires. Finally, there's Oliver, a handsome white lawyer with a dark family secret who lives in the building where Tony works. A violent attack causes their lives to intertwine in ways that will change them forever.
Taut, panoramic and powerful, debut novelist Susie Luo's Paper Namesis an unforgettable story about the long shadows of our parents, the ripple effect of our decisions and the ways in which our love transcends difference.
'Paper Names has the rare one-two punch of plot twists and sharp, absorbing prose. Luo portrays the ache of the impossible distance between parents and children, the inevitable corruption caused by wealth and privilege, the hopes, fears, and ambitions of a father navigating life in a new country, and the life-defining decisions of woman balancing her own success with sudden tragedy and long-buried truth, all while infusing each scene with a sense of deep love and longing.'
- Katie Runde, author of The Shore
'Paper Names is a sharp and honest look at family, immigration, and all that we trade away to find ourselves -- but it is also a literary page-turner that is as unsettling as it is full of grace. Susie Luo's debut is unblinking, nimble, and written with the kind of clarity one expects from a seasoned author. The word stunning is not hyperbole here.'
- Brian Castleberry, award-winning author of Nine Shiny Objects
'Paper Names is one of the most compelling evocations of the American dream I've ever read, an unwaveringly honest accounting of the costs of achieving that dream. Here you're in the hands of a supremely gifted storyteller who's unwinding a tale that is by turns tragic and redemptive, and always engrossing. I found the book impossible to put down, as much for its propulsive narrative as for its carefully observed portrait of the imperfect nature of love, and the fraught, untamable state of being human.'
- Jack Livings, award-winning author of The Blizzard Party
'Empathetic, propulsive, and timely, Luo's confident plotting shines in this story of three Americans attempting to redefine themselves in a changing country as their pasts and futures collide. A magnificent debut.'
- J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
'A stunningly accomplished debut about two very different families, the struggling Zhangs and the wealthy, powerful Wrights, both on a collision course with the American Dream and with one another, passing down their legacies and secrets through the generations.'
- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You
'With a keen eye for detail, a strong sense of pacing, and a deep understanding of human nature, Susie Luo crafts a moving portrait of two families whose fates intertwine. Deftly moving back and forth in time, she explores race, class, assimilation, loyalty, betrayal and ambition. Paper Names is a sensitive and timely novel.'
- Christina Baker Kline, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan Train
'This book will forever change the way readers think about the American Dream. I could not put it down, and I thought about it for weeks after finishing it. Immigrants will see themselves reflected all too well in these searing pages of hope and heartache. Susie Luo's Paper Names is an unforgettable book from a rare talent.'
- Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country
'Susie Luo's spectacular debut Paper Names is the story of the Zhang family, Chinese immigrants struggling to achieve the American d
Taut, panoramic and powerful, debut novelist Susie Luo's Paper Namesis an unforgettable story about the long shadows of our parents, the ripple effect of our decisions and the ways in which our love transcends difference.
'Paper Names has the rare one-two punch of plot twists and sharp, absorbing prose. Luo portrays the ache of the impossible distance between parents and children, the inevitable corruption caused by wealth and privilege, the hopes, fears, and ambitions of a father navigating life in a new country, and the life-defining decisions of woman balancing her own success with sudden tragedy and long-buried truth, all while infusing each scene with a sense of deep love and longing.'
- Katie Runde, author of The Shore
'Paper Names is a sharp and honest look at family, immigration, and all that we trade away to find ourselves -- but it is also a literary page-turner that is as unsettling as it is full of grace. Susie Luo's debut is unblinking, nimble, and written with the kind of clarity one expects from a seasoned author. The word stunning is not hyperbole here.'
- Brian Castleberry, award-winning author of Nine Shiny Objects
'Paper Names is one of the most compelling evocations of the American dream I've ever read, an unwaveringly honest accounting of the costs of achieving that dream. Here you're in the hands of a supremely gifted storyteller who's unwinding a tale that is by turns tragic and redemptive, and always engrossing. I found the book impossible to put down, as much for its propulsive narrative as for its carefully observed portrait of the imperfect nature of love, and the fraught, untamable state of being human.'
- Jack Livings, award-winning author of The Blizzard Party
'Empathetic, propulsive, and timely, Luo's confident plotting shines in this story of three Americans attempting to redefine themselves in a changing country as their pasts and futures collide. A magnificent debut.'
- J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest
'A stunningly accomplished debut about two very different families, the struggling Zhangs and the wealthy, powerful Wrights, both on a collision course with the American Dream and with one another, passing down their legacies and secrets through the generations.'
- Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You
'With a keen eye for detail, a strong sense of pacing, and a deep understanding of human nature, Susie Luo crafts a moving portrait of two families whose fates intertwine. Deftly moving back and forth in time, she explores race, class, assimilation, loyalty, betrayal and ambition. Paper Names is a sensitive and timely novel.'
- Christina Baker Kline, No.1 New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan Train
'This book will forever change the way readers think about the American Dream. I could not put it down, and I thought about it for weeks after finishing it. Immigrants will see themselves reflected all too well in these searing pages of hope and heartache. Susie Luo's Paper Names is an unforgettable book from a rare talent.'
- Qian Julie Wang, New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country
'Susie Luo's spectacular debut Paper Names is the story of the Zhang family, Chinese immigrants struggling to achieve the American d