𝟯.𝟱 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗨𝗣
An absolute banger of an opening chapter.

This one is a little hard for me to review because I felt myself being hooked and then released (pun intended) multiple times throughout the book. Kyoko was definitely my favorite perspective, so everytime we switched to Daniel or Alma I found myself a little less enthused. Not that I think the other perspectives were unnecessary, by any means, I just think I have a soft spot for murderous female characters.

I really liked the writing style and the ever-constant shift between soft and unhinged energy we got throughout. One second, there will be a line from Daniel expressing how loss actively affects him and the next we are comparing his member to a clown balloon.

This won’t be for everyone but I ended up having a great time with it. I have found that as long as I can connect with at least one character in a story, I will like it more and that is definitely the case with this one.







p.s. I do wish one of the major plot avenues had actually come to fruition. I am not a psychopath, I just believe in an eye-for-an-eye.

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

Woah. I have never read anything like this book... I don't know if I ever will again. I don't even have the right words for such a unique, captivating book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

It's been years since a book has left me so utterly speechless. The Fetishist, with its gorgeous prose and contemplative narrative, brilliantly explores the fetishization and exploitation of Asian women. With characters who read as real to the touch, Katherine Min illustrates the intersection of each of their experiences using succinct yet beautiful vignettes. At the heart of these interlaced storylines is none other than the titular fetishist, Daniel Karmody.

Much of this story takes place in the music world, where Daniel himself initially meets Alma and Emi — two Asian women whose lives are irrevocably changed by Daniel, and who by result, inevitably and karmically impact Daniel ten times fold. There's despair and love and music and vengeance and reconciliation and everything under the sun that makes life worth living, and that made this book so very incredible.

As an Asian woman myself, it's an understatement that the subjugation of Asian women to repugnant (e.g., docile, subservient, tiny, quiet) stereotypes continues to be a reality in day-to-day lives. The Fetishist asks its readers: How do we find love in the face of those who want us for what we represent to them? How do we reject their desire and adoration when it comes in the form of pedestaling and projection?

I absolutely loved how this story was told. It was structurally perfect like a freshly tailored suit. It genuinely felt like no page was wasted in this book; every word (and Min used many an adjective and loved profuse descriptors!!!) simply belonged that when I'd read a paragraph in its entirety, it felt like reciting a prayer.

I'm still reeling from finding out that Katherine Min actually passed away a few years back after fighting breast cancer. What a wonderful mind whose life will continue to live on in the pulchritude of her writing. I hope deeply that more of Katherine Min's work sees light someday.

A unique tale of revenge, grief, and the sexualization/fetishism of Asian women by white men. I really don't know what to say about this novel, because I think it's best experienced without someone else trying to summarize it. This storyline is a bit difficult to explain, but there does seem to be unexpected redemption for several of the characters. But pay attention to the chapter titles - the last two are particularly important.

On a cold, gloomy night, twenty-three-year-old Kyoko stands in the rain with a knife in her hoodie’s pocket. Her target is Daniel, who seduced Kyoko’s mother then callously dropped her, leading to her death. But tonight, there will be repercussions. Following the unsuspecting Daniel home, Kyoko manages to get a rash kidnapping plot off the ground . . . and then nothing goes as planned.

The Fetishist is the story of three people—Kyoko, a Japanese American punk-rock singer full of rage and grief; Daniel, a philandering violinist forced to confront the wreckage of his past; and Alma, the love of Daniel’s life, a Korean American cello prodigy long adored for her beauty, passion, and talent, but who spends her final days examining if she was ever, truly, loved.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Putnam for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

This was a unique read! I don't think I've read anything with a similar plot. I enjoyed all the different characters and moving through time to see how they all interconnected with each other. Definitely a good read for a cold winter day.

I love a book with chapter titles and these were exceptional - very Wes-Anderson stark titles describing what the chapter is about. Loved every single one. This novel starts in such a compelling way and continues with me thinking throughout - how is this going to resolve? Will it resolve? This novel covered a lot including the racism and fetishism of Asian women (which I didn't know what a thing - awful). Throughout the book, we follow two women who were former lovers of Daniel who is a musician in a niche field. There were some gaping holes (for me) in the plot but the writing was good and I had to find out how it resolved so I overlooked the question that never got answered (what was so great about Daniel for these women to fall for?) and continued reading. I thought it was odd and interesting which is always something I look for in a book.

This book covers a lot of ground, especially straight from the beginning. It is a love story, it is a revenge story, it's the story of passion and disease, and all at once. There are a lot of characters, but I feel like each of the characters had the right amount of attention and character building for them, which elevated my reading experience.

I really like the narrative voice of this story -- it was omniscient enough that it felt objective, but when we saw the narration with other characters centered, we were able to see that characters intepreted things differently.

My only complaint with this book, which I think was incredibly captivating and well-written, is that I feel like Daniel as a character didn't make any sense to me. The draw that he had with the women in the book just did not translate over the page, in my opinion -- I didn't understand why people were genuinely threatening suicide over him not loving them. Maybe that was the point of the book, but it felt very jarring to me.

There is a lot of lovely writing here, particularly about music. The story of revenge and forgiveness for a white violinist having a "fetish" for Asian-American women left me a little flat. Perhaps there was too much perspective from Daniel or that the forgiveness seemed bestowed a bit too easily. It just didn't connect for me.

Maybe I'm a hater, but this felt disappointing. I found myself making an "ick" face most of the time as I read. The chapter titles were straightforward and childish, like children's tv episode titles, which was distracting. The main characters were all so unlikeable, pretentious, and self-involved.

Was Daniel a fetishist? Sure (and this book was filthy btw), but he didn't single-handedly ruin anyone's life. Was Kyoko at all justified? No, her mother was a grown woman and an affair takes two. Also Kyoko's whole deal felt so cringe. We get it, you're small and angry. Was Alma wronged? Yeah, but she was also a cheater, incredibly self-centered, and argumentative. Everyone sucked.

There were small nuggets of truth interspersed, but mostly it I was overcome by the ick of it all. Like somehow the point felt missed. Most of the time I was actually asking myself, "What is the point?"

MY REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
👉 An absolutely beautiful exploration of power and race, told through humor, anger, revenge, and joy.
👉 While not a thriller, there were pieces of the narrative that leaned into that world (which made me very happy) and kept me on my toes!
👉 The characters were lovable, hateable, stressful af--Amazingly written in every possibly way.
👉 I am so, so sad that this novel was published posthumously because it was my first book by Katherine Min, but so, so grateful that it is being published and I found my way to it!

I was not expecting for this book to be as funny as it was, but I could also go an entire lifetime without hearing another word about a bland white man named Daniel (or his sexual fantasies). I understand that his presence was very much the point—or at least, a necessary foil for the other narrators—but I could not stop myself from cringing at a few specific moments.

I'm new to this author, but Min's writing was sharp and dry and right on the nose. A few characters were a little overwrought, in my opinion, but it worked well given the context. I think her style would land well with fans of Disorientation (Elaine Hsieh Chou), Yellowface (RF Kuang), or Cult Classic (Sloane Crosley).

Thank you to Penguin/Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book!

For a book that delves into a serious conversation about the fetishization of Asian American women, this book was also full of love, tenderness and levity. It is a revenge story and a love story, a story about heartache and betrayal but also redemption and forgiveness. I think Min did an excellent job developing each of the characters, and I really enjoyed seeing how different events from the novel were perceived by each. My only complaint is that I would have loved to read more about Kyoko and from her perspective, she was my favorite character.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Caucasian musician, Daniel, seems to have a fetish for Asian girls and women, having been romantically atrracted to and involved with several Asian women over the years. Drawn to Grace in high school, he also develops a relationship with an Asian married woman later on in life, even though he loves the Korean, Alma, who leaves him after seeing he couldn't control his attraction to other Asian women.

The story centers around Daniel and the married woman who commits suicide after her affair, divorce, and lonely life. Her daughter Kyoko seeks revenge on Daniel for her mother's death and stalks him with the help of her Black lover. The story also centers around Alma, seemingly his true love, who later has a tragic health situation that leaves her temporarily in a coma.

The book investigates fetishes surrounding Asian women, and the not so pleasant outcomes for the women.

Alma is an accomplished cellist who is now grappling with MS. Daniel aspired to become a world class musician but is currently running a quartet which serenades dying people to ease their passing. Daniel and Alma were once very much in love (and we are given the sense that there is still something there). Daniel is recently divorced from his wife Sigrid and Alma is trying to get through her life and pain with the help of her neighbor Rickey. Kyoko is a budding punk musician and she is hatching a plot to murder Daniel along with her boyfriend Kornell. Kyoko is convinced that Daniel had an affair with her mother Emi which led to Emi’s divorce and subsequent suicide. This is the premise for The Fetishist. So named because Daniel has a fetish for Asian women.

The book is published posthumously after the untimely passing of Katherine Min. It is narrated in a reverse order where we learn about the past in a series of flashbacks. I found the story of Daniel, Alma and Emi interesting enough. Kyoko’s portion of the story has shades of YA lingo and the plot to murder Daniel, while brimming with originality, was a bit too farfetched. There are a lot of references to classical music and nuances of the music world. I skimmed through these but a music connoisseur will probably be better placed to appreciate those. Characters are pretty well developed although none of them are much likeable. Overall, a quick read, unique and evocative in parts. A novel of love, revenge, forgiveness and redemption. Good for book club discussions.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

A novel about three people connected by love, anger and stereotypical views of Asian women.

Kyoko is a very angry young Japanese-American woman who, along with her boyfriend Kornell, writes angry music and plays in a punk band. She also draws manga, the latest featuring a girl samurai named Willy who is dedicated to pursuing vengeance against those who killed her family. Kyoko’s mother Emi, a musician, had an affair long ago with Daniel and developed an obsession with him. Her feelings for Daniel broke up her marriage and ultimately, Kyoko believes, led to her committing suicide. She blames Daniel for Emi’s death and has long plotted to kill him, and one night has her chance to do just that. She sees a post on social media from Alma, the woman whom Daniel loved and an accomplished cellist suffering from MS, and tracks him down to where he is dining. A series of mishaps foils her attempt, but she persuades Kornell to kidnap Daniel with her, and the two imprison Daniel in their basement as they plan to poison him. Three characters in despair: Kyoko whose existence is focused on revenging her mother’s death; Daniel, whose aspirations were to be a world famous musician but in fact he now leads a quartet whose niche speciality is to play music for people in the final stages of life; and Alma, whose existence was defined by the musical gifts of which her illness has robbed her and the attraction she held for a series of men (including Daniel) as the embodiment of the Asian woman fantasy. The lives of these three characters intersect and ultimately provide the path for release from their woes.
The Fetishist, released posthumously, is told with humor, sarcasm and empathy with assured writing. The characters, none particularly likable yet rendered with compassion, are richly drawn and as a reader I could not help but want them to find if not happiness then at lease some measure of peace. The author details the many ways in which Asian women like Alma, Kyoko and Emi have been fetishized as ideals of sexualized femininity and beauty, particularly by Western men, combining racism and sexism in a way that undermines and minimizes those women. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel, and was pleasantly surprised by the juxtaposition of anger and humor, punk rock and classical music, and other elements that shouldn’t work well together yet did. It is hard to put this novel into a particular category, but as the author wrote , it is “a fairy tale of sorts”…also, “Every story has a happy ending, depending on where you put THE END.” Those who enjoy fiction laced with a bit of humor, who appreciate a novel written exceptionally well, and who want characters to be well-rendered even if not particularly laudable, should give The Fetishist a try. It is equal parts Margaret Atwood and The Princess Bride, and I thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for sharing an advanced reader’s copy with me.

to be honest the cover was very intriguing and kind of sucked me in but the book sort of fell flat for me. i wish i enjoyed it more because it seemed like a good read but i could not get into it.

The premise of this book was so interesting, and I found it very intriguing. The prose felt so different depending on who it was written about. Some of it felt almost lyrical and whimsical while other times it felt matter of fact and clunky.

I'd say there's some sexual content to be aware of in case that's a trigger.

Kyoko has decided Daniel is the reason her mom is dead and after a chance encounter, she decides to get revenge. Meanwhile Daniel and Alma, love of Daniel’s life, ponder on their lives and face their past, confronting questions of race, femininity, complicity, and visibility.

To be honest, this is not an easy novel to explain. While there is a current time plot, a lot of the novel is piecing out the past. This was definitely a read I would have loved to pore over author interviews of had the novel not been published posthumously. There were some curious choices in the storytelling and I would love to hear other readers' thoughts on them and the questions they raised. A lot about Daniel reminded me of The Laugher by Sonora Jha, he obviously wasn’t a character I enjoyed getting acquainted with. Min’s observations on racism and exoticism feels so personal and the way she set the novel so intentional. It’s also oh so uncomfortable. While I’m optimistically hoping that current generations are moving away from being creeps, this novel can almost be a guide to red flags. The only reason I’m saying almost is because the content is a bit explicit at times and while I think it’s part of how Min chooses the question complicity, to the untrained eye it might send the wrong message.

As for the audiobook, I enjoyed Eunice Wong’s narration. While I think there could have been multiple narrators on this just based on the structure of the novel, Wong’s narration worked well with the vibe the novel was going for.

Thank you so much to Putnam Books for the ARC & finished copy and PRH Audio for the ALC of this one.

This is one of those books that is hard to describe because it’s such an immersive experience to read it. At its heart it’s about a twenty-three-year-old woman name Kyoko. She is a Japanese American punk-rock singer, full of angst and mourning the loss of her mother Alma who was a famous cellist. Kyoko seeks revenge on Daniel, a violinist who happens to be the man who killed her mother. The novel begins with Kyoko poised to kidnap Daniel, but nothing goes as planned. It sounds serious, and while it is, it’s also really funny and surprising and poignant. What I didn’t know when I was reading this book is that the author, Katherine Min passed away in 2019, so this, her second novel, was published posthumously and it’s very sad because this book is so compelling and I will forever wonder what she may have written next if her life hadn’t been cut short. Thank you to Penguin and to Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

It's always hard to read a book by an author that has passed away before their time and that the book in your hand is published posthumously. The Fetishist by Katherine Min is a beautiful novel. After you readit you know that this author had so much more to give the literary world. It's a novel about four people Alma, Daniel, Emi and Kyoto. It has themes of music, love, ego, disease and how humans handle it when it comes swirling together. It shows what family members will to do to extract suffering from people who hurt them. The book is named The Fetishist because of the way men look towards and treat Asian women. It's definetly timely in today's world. I never. felt like I wanted to put the book down once I started it and read it in two days. It's one of those books that I will go back and read again. Yes, it's that good. I truly hope you pick up this book. She deserves to be read far and wide even though she is no longer with us. Thank you to #putnam #penguinbooks for the arc. #netgalley