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A review by kristinhunziker
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
This is Nghi Vo's only book that I have disliked. (Empress of Salt & Fortune and Siren Queen are 5-star masterpieces.)
Vo creates such galactic narrative distance between the reader and the characters that the characters all feel, at best, unknowable. At worst, they're emotionless and boring. I didn't care about Jordan Baker, and I didn't feel any tension regarding Daisy-Gatsby, Daisy-Tom, or the death that I know occurs at the end of the story.
The original work, The Great Gatsby, had a lot to say about how money can't buy happiness and the American Dream isn't real. This retelling strips all of that out. Although the story glancingly refers to the marginalization that Jordan experiences as a queer, Vietnamese, immigrant, adopted woman, it doesn't excavate those themes deeply. Thus, it doesn't remix the original's themes, and it doesn't interrogate the new themes. It feels shallow.
If you don't mind the huge narrative distance and the lack of thematic richness, this book's strengths are that it is an incredibly faithful retelling of the Great Gatsby, and Vo's lyrical prose is rich with imagery. Her prose continues to be some of the best in the genre.
Vo creates such galactic narrative distance between the reader and the characters that the characters all feel, at best, unknowable. At worst, they're emotionless and boring. I didn't care about Jordan Baker, and I didn't feel any tension regarding Daisy-Gatsby, Daisy-Tom, or the death that I know occurs at the end of the story.
The original work, The Great Gatsby, had a lot to say about how money can't buy happiness and the American Dream isn't real. This retelling strips all of that out. Although the story glancingly refers to the marginalization that Jordan experiences as a queer, Vietnamese, immigrant, adopted woman, it doesn't excavate those themes deeply. Thus, it doesn't remix the original's themes, and it doesn't interrogate the new themes. It feels shallow.
If you don't mind the huge narrative distance and the lack of thematic richness, this book's strengths are that it is an incredibly faithful retelling of the Great Gatsby, and Vo's lyrical prose is rich with imagery. Her prose continues to be some of the best in the genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident