I made it halfway through and gave up. I did not like any characters and didn't care about the plot. The book was very boring.

Like several other books before this, I received an advanced reader’s copy of Katherine Min’s “The Fetishist” for free, yet because the plot was so compelling to me I purchased a published version, forgetting I had received the ARC. I decided to read the published version, assuming it contained fewer punctuation and typographical errors; nevertheless, I’m grateful to NetGalley for trusting me with the unpublished version, hoping I would like it.

Not only did I like this book, I LOVED it! I am saddened its author no longer is with us to provide more fabulous stories like this one, but I look forward to reading her first published work, the critically acclaimed novel “Secondhand World,” and the nonfiction collection of essays she was writing at the time of her unfortunate death that I hope her daughter will soon publish, as she did “The Fetishist.”

“The Fetishist” revolves around the notion that Asian women are fetishized, mostly by white men, for a variety of different reasons, which are enumerated in the book. The setting is the highly competitive and structured world of classical music, where musicians typically devote their childhoods to practice and study and their adulthoods to performing. The book expertly weaves together the lives of many disparate characters but focuses mainly on three: Kyoko, a Japanese American punk-rock singer consumed by rage and grief; Daniel, a complete cad of a violin virtuoso who eventually is made to confront the damage he inflicted on others; and Alma, a dying Korean American cello prodigy adored for her beauty and talent and was once engaged to marry Daniel, who doubts whether she ever was truly loved.

Everything about this book is spectacular, from its simplistic yet evocative wording to its sometimes lush and beautiful settings. I love this encapsulation of the story by the author herself:

“This is a . . . fairy tale of sorts, about three people
who begin in utter despair. There is even a giant, a
buried treasure (a tiny one), a hero held captive, a
kind of ogre (a tiny one), and a sleeping beauty. As
with most fairy tales, poison is involved, as is a certain
suspension of time (time, a tricky current, medium
of buoyancy and stagnation, slick and sticky, fluid,
fixative—a prison of its own; an enchanted tower; a
strange country once visited, to which we can never
return). And because it is a fairy tale, it has a happy
ending. For the hero, the ogre, and the sleeping beauty,
and for the giant, too. After all, every story has a happy
ending, depending on where you put THE END.”

Not particularly well written and I hated the two characters I was forced to spend the most time with. I just don’t know that I needed a 200 page redemption arc for a shitty dude.

I can't finish this one. I really disliked the story.. Not for me. DNF. I listened to part of it and did not want to finish.

Totally. unique and riveting story and I'm so glad it was published. I was especially moved by the daughter's note about publishing her mom's manuscript. Just lovely.

Not really sure how to review this one. It was…interesting, so I’ll give it points for creativity, but at the same time I’m not sure I really enjoyed it?

I really enjoyed reading the Fetishist. I think it presented good themes about revenge, love, and familial relationships. The writing was propulsive

Katherine Min's *Fetishist* is a thought-provoking novel that delves into the complexities of identity and obsession with incisive storytelling. Min’s evocative prose and deep character exploration create a compelling narrative that challenges perceptions and engages the reader. The book's exploration of human desire and societal norms makes it a striking and memorable read.

I really enjoyed this book, except for the last chapter about the retainer - it felt weird and disjointed and like it should have been earlier on the book or not included at all. However, I will still recommend this to others.

This was overall an engaging novel. The plot was fascinating and I loved the retelling. Overall, I think I hyped it up too much in my head to enjoy it as much as I had hoped.

What a complex and poignant story. I rarely read books that make me uncomfortable in such a way; Min's examination of race, violence, gender, and sex through these characters is incredibly compelling and unsettling. I agree with other reviewers that the momentum/pacing drew me away from the story sometimes, but overall, I think this is such an important novel to emerge in our decade, and Min's writing/prose is beautiful.

I originally received this as an advance reader copy and I was really excited to read it. I read the book after it was published, but I did enjoy the journey the story took me on. I understand this book was a posthumous publication, but it was my first book by this author. There were portions of this book that made me laugh out loud and portions that made me blush. Overall, it was a good journey.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. It's a shame we won't get to see any future novels from Min. The writing and wordplay is so strong, although some of the plot could have used a little more editing/fleshing out that I assume wasn't possible due to the circumstances.

The Fetishist by Katherine Min had a very strong start that slowed and failed to ultimately keep me engaged. I think the premise is promising and I do hope to see it succeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

I think this would’ve hit way more if I had read it ten years ago, but I have stopped finding the white man-Asian woman dynamic worth examining anymore. It might be I am just not the audience!

The Fetishist is an entertaining, sexy look at white men's obsession with Asian women, and more importantly, seeing how several Asian women interpret and address being objects of that obsession, and how that may change over the course of their lives. Of course, so much of any interpretation is wrapped up in how the person being woo'd feels about the wooer and how open they are at the beginning -- see How I Met Your Mother and the Dobler/Dahmer theory for a funny take on that.
Classical musician and serial womanized (almost exclusively of Asian women) Daniel is forced to confront his sordid history in many ways throughout the novel, and women touched directly or indirectly (literally and figuratively) by his advances, often in relationships where he had all the power, show the effects of his actions and the menace revealed by the pattern over years.
Although everything is technically consensual, the forces driving the consent, preferences, and situations is hardly in anyone's control, especially the women -- some of whom discuss their conflicting desire and shame very eloquently.
This is a great novel to see nuances of a complex issue, while also experiencing humor, sensuality, and so much more.

This book was slow to start and at no point did I know where it was going but I loved it. It explores the problematic reality of fetishizing an entire ethnic group but does so with such nuance and respect for individuals and individual relationships. The writing felt a bit heavy handed at times, but overall was an engrossing read.

This ended up being a dnf for me at about 34% i just couldn't connect with the story, but the parts I did read weren't bad just not for me.

A unique retelling of Lolita based around a white man fetishizes Asian women. It's hard to come up with a unique review for such a unique story. I'm disappointed this wasn't able to be published during the authors lifetime for her to see the joy it brings people, but am glad it was able to be published eventually.

I loved the prose in this unique story and it kept me captivated. It was moving and thought provoking.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When Kyoko finally puts her plot for revenge into action after years of plotting, absolutely nothing goes right. By the time she finally gets her hands on Daniel, the man she blames for her mother’s suicide, she has no idea what to do with him. Part of her is reveling in the moment, knowing she is on the verge of achieving what has been her life’s goal for so long… part of her is completely unsure about exactly how she plans to go about enacting her revenge. She wants him to suffer, to die. But how? After all, nothing has gone right in her plan so far. With no where else to turn, Kyoko enlists the help of her boyfriend and fellow bandmate to lock Daniel in the basement. As she decides what to do next, everyone involved - immediately or distantly - comes to their own reckoning involving issues of race, feminist ideals, and immortality.

On the surface, the premise sounded alluring. I was so eager to read this book. Initially, the narration of story grabbed me in a way that made me think it would deliver; however, as the book splintered into its multiple POVs, the grip it had on my quickly loosened. One reason for this is, for me, the story and plot took a backseat to the depth of character study that takes place. The novel follows the viewpoints of several characters - none of which are in any way underdeveloped. Even background characters have a dynamism to them that gives the reader a feeling of being a purveying god over a different reality. I pictured the setting as a neon, cyberpunk style background, scored by stringed instruments playing haunting, classical pieces.

But the characters. For there to be so many, and all with so much depth and development, and exploration into their hearts and minds… at a certain point, the story lost its pace and reading felt more laborious than entertaining. There was so much to follow and learn and explore with each character. It was hard to read inn one sitting, yet hard to really absorb properly if read in bits and spurts.

Be prepared for a novel that requires you to process a lot of difficult topics, as well. Katherine Min is a phenomenal author in this regard. She handles the hard topics with incredible tact, skill, and even beauty. That being said, check the trigger warnings (e.g., mentions of suicide) and make sure you are in the right headspace before tackling this novel. Personally, I’m not sure if I’ll attempt a reread, just because I think I ruined my experience reading it the first time by not being prepared for the depth. Go in prepared, and you’re more than likely in for an incredibly insightful and creative time.

The things that would have made this book better for me are definitely reflective of my own preferences rather than an shortcomings on the author’s part. For example, I would have loved to have seen more detail and story devoted to Kyoko’s murder plan and final attempt to go through with Daniel’s murder. For me, it felt like the scene went by almost insignificantly, as internal/emotional reactions were emphasized over the pacing and movement of the plot. In the end, I was ultimately expecting something akin to Mona Awad, but this was very different. If my expectations were more level with the reality of the content/genre, I no doubt would have liked The Fethishist so much more. But it fell flat for me and I don’t know if I could redeem it with a reread at this point. My advice, go into this with open eyes and you are more than likely in for an excellent experience.