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Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a multi-generational novel that centers on American identity and the theme of nature vs. nurture.

Book Cover: Real Americans by Rachel Khong.

The novel starts with Lily Chen and tells the meet cute story of how she meets and falls in love with Matthew. I found this part of the novel the most enjoyable.

Unfortunately, we then jump forward in time and follow Nick Chen as he struggles with feelings of not belonging. As we follow Nick, desperately seeking his place in the world, we meet May, Nick’s grandmother, and Lily’s estranged mother.

This introduces another time shift. Here, we learn how May and Charles fled from Mao’s Communist China and ended up in America.

Going back in time loses momentum in the story. Also, at this point, I don’t really care about the story or the characters. I just want it to be over.

Others may enjoy this more than I did. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not one that I loved either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

Chris Panatier’s The Redemption of Morgan Bright is a fantasy-horror novel with a patriarchy reminiscent of The Handmaiden’s Tale. In a world where men can have their wives admitted for psychiatric care against their will, all under the guise of “domestic psychosis,” Morgan Bright goes into Hollyhock Asylum with a secret.

book cover: The Redemption of Morgan Bright.

The novel is told from the perspective of Charlotte and Morgan and is interspersed with excerpts from police interviews and text messages. As the story unfolds, we learn that Morgan desperately wants to understand what happened to her sister, Hadleigh, who died while wandering alone along the road outside the asylum.

All in all, I felt the novel moved at a very slow pace. There’s a lot of character development and narrative twists throughout. However, the supernatural aspect of the horror elements didn’t do much for me. Additionally, the police interviews and text messages, while important to the story-telling, felt forced and intrusive.

If supernatural novels with an evil patriarchy are your jam, you might like this more than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own. Links in this review are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.