White Ivy (2020) by Susie Yang

 1001 Novels: A Library of America

White Ivy (2020)

by Susie Yang

1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 

Massachusetts: 29/30

   Wow, one more book to go first the first of fourteen Chapters in the 1001 Books project. 43 titles out of Northern New England. 48 from Southern New England for a total of 91 titles for the first Chapter.  1001/14 nets out to an average of 71.5 books per Chapter, so that means New England is overrepresented by 20 titles.  That makes sense since New England is probably the most literary physical landscape in America and contains multiple centers of authorial activity, universities, writers retreats, big cities, etc. 

   White Ivy comes heavily promoted as an Asian-American spin on The Talented Mr. Ripley with a young, female protagonist.   It made a sales splash when it came out- the library copy I checked out had a Jenna's Book Club sticker on the front.  Yang's protagonist is pleasingly imperfect- a poor student turned indifferent grade school teacher who reconnects with her childhood crush, a class mate and scion of an upper-crust WASP family (his deceased father was a senator!)  

   I found most of White Ivy pretty excruciating but thought the whole book was redeemed by the last fifty page, where the Ripley comparisons finally come into focus.  I originally tried to listen to the Audiobook but I just couldn't take it, I'm glad I read the book instead.