Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an advance reader copy.
3.5
Real Americans is a complicated multigenerational novel spanning decades. The book is told in 3 parts and you get to know the characters on a deep level.

Real Americans starts us out with Lily - a twenty-two year old unpaid intern living in New York City on the brink of Y2K. When she meets Matthew, they instantly have a connection that can't be explained and chemistry that's off the charts. They couldn't be anymore different - Matthew is self-assured, confident, rich, a native East Coaster and an heir to a pharmaceutical company.

The story leads us further in 2021, where fifteen year old Nick Chen has never felt like he belongs on an isolated island in Washington state where he lives with his single mother, Lily. He can't help but feel apart of him is deeply missing and that Lily is hiding a secret. Something regarding his absent father who he knows absolutely nothing about.

I first spotted Real Americans in Library Journal and instantly put in on my TBR list as I love intergeneration novels that follow a singular family. I found Khong's writing style beautiful, but also readable for any demographic or crowd. It captured me instantly and as the book developed it was one of the few pieces of fiction in the last few months that I absolutely couldn't put down. I found myself thinking about the story and wanting to read more as I went through the mundane tasks of life. I found Real Americans to be so witty and smart in the way it plays with being "American" and how May/Lily/Nick's family deals with this idea in each generation even going as far as dealing with it or altering it on a scientific level. For the most part I find this to be as close as you can get to a perfect novel, but there were some aspects in the third act of the book that felt a little underwhelming. However, overall I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for an early edition of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I really enjoyed this book. Absolutely beautiful writing style! I loved the interwoven stories. It kept me engaged all the way until the end!

Spanning decades, this was a wonderful read. I felt a lot of emotions and really enjoyed the way that Khong laid out the story. Strong plot, strong emotions and beautiful writing. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh wow I loved this book. A moving story about generational mistakes made by two intertwined families. The power of forgiveness and acceptance is a big aspect of this book. A lot of this story is misunderstanding and the loss of time with your family and loved ones. A wonderful character driven story.

The books reads with an umbrella of melancholy as you move through, esp the college applications and first year in college. The reader is immersed in a character that is simple yet complicated.

This book was excellent! Told between three generations each character drew me in in this rare way that only some authors are able to do. The worlds and stories that Khong created and the characters she described were so tangible and deep. This is one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

You know a book is good, when you are weepy at the end. This was such a well written story of three generations of an Asian American family and the sacrifices they made for their children, and for science. This is told from 3 points of view-Mei, Lily, and Nick. You'll have your favorite, but Nick was mine.
Nick is raised by Lily, a single mom, who falls in love with his dad, Matthew, then leaves him after finding out what their parents had done in the past. You learn the backstory of Lily and her mother, Mei, which explains how Nick is who he is. Nick is determined to find his father, and with the help of his friend, takes a DNA test, and uses the internet to track him down. The interactions between Nick and Matthew are touching, stressful, and often full of anger and regret.
The other 3rd of the book is Mei's story, Lily's mother, who comes to America to escape Mao's cultural revolution, and becomes a dedicated scientist. What she's researching becomes integral to Lily and Nick in the future. As Nick establishes a relationship with his grandmother, and her secrets come to light, he struggles with his current predicament and has to make some difficult decisions to keep his moral ground.
The characters are so well developed here, you can tell this author is a pro, and is only improving with time. This would make a great book club discussion book as there are so many things to be debated. Loved it!!

Not a huge fan. I found the premise intriguing but felt stranded by the author after the big reveal. Perhaps it was the structure that bothered me. There were issues related to the big reveal that I thought deserved more thought and discussion by the characters---the moral and ethical issues that were largely ignored.

"Real Americans" by Rachel Khong delves deep into the themes of time and the human quest for control, presenting a narrative that is both captivating and at times complex. Khong's storytelling navigates through intricate plots and characters, leaving some threads untied, yet it's within this intricacy that the novel truly shines. It invites readers to ponder their own struggles with control and its impacts.

Central to the book is a resonant message about the universal desire to command time, especially illuminated through the prism of parenthood. Khong thoughtfully examines the parental impulse to accelerate children's growth in an attempt to shield them from life's errors, weaving a narrative that balances the collective craving for control against the sovereign right to self-determination.

The characters in "Real Americans" are richly drawn, each embroiled in their personal quests and life's inevitable entanglements. Khong's adept portrayal of their journeys enhances the story's appeal, making the novel an engrossing read that connects deeply with the audience.

Ultimately, "Real Americans" stands out as an insightful and emotionally engaging examination of life across three generations, all striving to define what it means to be "American." This book comes highly recommended for those in search of a story that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply human.

The strength of this novel lies in the author’s ability to create complex characters whose lives the reader quickly becomes invested in, and in her ability to use clear, engaging, immersive prose to weave a story using multiple points of view and a broad timeline. The ending left me wanting, a bit, but also felt real and apt for the story. There are big themes here, about science and ethics, about belonging and ambition and power, and the universal yearning to control time. Overall, this is a thought-provoking, emotionally resonant story, and I am very much looking forward to Rachel Chong’s next book.

“Real Americans” is an ambitious, family-centered, literary novel. Featuring a grandmother, daughter, and grandson of Chinese heritage, it focuses on what assimilating into American culture can mean, the making of choices, and the unintended, unexpected consequences that can result. It’s a long and serious work featuring well-drawn, multi-layered characters, some mystery, and several surprises. I can't say I enjoyed absolutely everything about it. There were times when it dragged and/or seemed convoluted. However, I identified with some parts, learned from others, and found still others emotionally affecting. Overall, I found it to be a very worthwhile reading experience.

My thanks to Net Galley, author Rachel Khong, and publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for providing me with a complimentary ARC. The foregoing is my independent opinion.

Real Americans is beautifully written. Mei's story was probably my favorite, and Lily's was a close second. I loved that we had the middle generation first-- it really made me more invested in Nick's story. The little bit of magical realism was not quite as explored as I would have liked, but I am always up for an intergenerational story, especially about American immigrants. Mei's part was just so compelling, and I would have even liked a book just about her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an advance reader copy!

This book is fascinating and I needed to break my reading into chunks to properly digest it. What happens when you combine brilliant scientists escaping the Mao regime, misogyny and racism in the sciences, the origins of some of America’s biggest (fictional) gene pharma, relationship struggles, multigenerational fractured parenting, & Silicon Valley billionaires? It’s all here. I really liked it and look forward to going back and reading Khong’s first book.

“Real Americans” is a generational tale that resonated with me in ways that I didn’t expect. A story told in three parts, each highlighting a different generation, had moments that I would have to sit there and simply process what I read. I was in awe at how someone was able to write about experiences that I always struggled to put words to.

What I truly loved about this book was Khong’s ability to carry the central themes through each of the character’s perspectives, making it all feel truly connected. Even as we moved through the lives of three very different individuals, there were constant discussions of how one’s circumstances dictate the trajectory of their life, how time is ever fleeting, and how wealth does not always make one fortunate.

While carrying through these themes as a contemporary fiction, Khong was also managed to weave in some mystery and science fiction elements that had me glued to the pages, eager to learn the truth. However, I did find that the middle part of the story dragged for me a bit and I found it odd that the final portion of the story seemed to jump perspectives when the first two parts did not.

Despite those issues, I found that all of this came together to tell a beautiful story of how the gaps between people can grow quite large. As individuals the characters in this book all tried to do the best with what they had, taking what they’ve learned to try and do better. Their actions were mirrored in such fascinating ways by highlighting how hard it was for the younger generations to truly understand their intentions. As I was going back through the quotes I had highlighted, it made the story feel more rich realizing how much the final part of the book had me looking at the beginning differently.

4.25 Stars - Absolutely loved Khong's writing! There were countless passages and quotes that I saved, and really made me feel seen as an Asian American.

Real Americans is broken into three parts following one family: Lily, a first-generation American, her white-passing son, Nick, and May, a Chinese who immigrates to the United States to do genetics research. Spanning 30++ years, the novel follows the 3 through the mundane (college tours) to the not-so.

For fans of:
- multigenerational storylines & jumping timelines
- Novels exploring themes of identity, race, the meaning of family, existential life questions (
- Genre-bending elements: from romance to scifi/dystopian, mystery to historical fiction; a little something for everyone!
- Pachinko meets Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
- Books that make you think about the meaning of your own life!

Multi-generational story. Lily's scientist parents immigrated to the USA from China. Their desire to raise
their daughter as a n American meant a home where only English was spoken in the house and the
food was strictly American. Lily has no knowledge of the Chinese culture or language. Unfortunately, she
lives in a world that always identifies her as Asian.
Nick, Lily's son, only knows that is father is white and he resembles him.. Lily has told him that
she parted on bad terms with his father Matthew and agreed to cut off contact. When Nick submits a
DNA sample, he discovers that his father is eager to see him. While he starts secretly seeing Matthew,
his relationship with Lily changes, not for the better.
Then there's May, Liliy's mother, who left China during the Cultual Revolutiuon so she could continue
her study of genetics. As May's past is revealed and her surprising connection to Matthew's family,
the impact of her choices on Lily's and Nick's lives are revealed.
#RealAmericans #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, what a great start to 2024.

This book, the way it pulled me in and I just couldn’t let go. I absolutely think it’s in my top 10 of all time now. I love that it’s in three parts and even if you flashback to a moment, it’s not throwing you off course.

Lily is such a soft, but strong character. Navigating through life and identity, one battle at a time.

This book is like a modern day Joy Luck Club, as cliche as that may sound. But seeing how culture, the American dream, family, marriage will always be topics in books for generations to come, it’s understandable.

Please get this book, recommend it for the next book club meeting, gift to your book loving friends.

This book wasn’t bad. It was a bit slow to get started and then it did grab my attention and had me wanting to keep reading but the ending to me was not what I expected

For this particular review, I'm attempting a new tactic whereby I write a full month after reading the book.

The result: I can firmly say that, although I enjoyed the novel, it didn't leave a strong impression on me. I credit this to ambitious but "clunky" storytelling. Light spoilers follow.

what I appreciated:
- There's plenty of potential in the bare bones. We follow the perspectives of three individuals from one family. The first of these protagonists is Lily, the daughter of two Chinese immigrants. Fresh out of college and dipping into a large city's workforce, she struggles with her identity, with balancing the circumstances that have brought her to the present and figuring out how to make her future. That, in and of itself, posits plenty of exploratory opportunity.
- This novel doesn't shy away from telling everyone that familial connections are complicated.
- There's an air of mystery that is present throughout all three sections. Things feel unaddressed, unfinished, open-ended— it captures the feeling of knowing your present but being in the dark about the past and being unable to fully grasp what the future holds. All of that to say, I think the author did well in capturing that type of atmosphere.

where it falls short:
- The transitions between the three perspectives were particularly abrupt. Just when one character approaches a moment that can/will change the trajectory of their life... Time-skip. Perspective shift. I can imagine that this is done as an attempt to build anticipation; I don't think it was as effective as it was immersion-breaking.
- The third perspective takes a jump backward in time, and there's something about it that feels somewhat detached from the rest of the novel. Part of it is the nature of the revelations, how it finally gives answers to questions that have been long-present while also taking a genre-bending turn.
- The best way I can describe the experience of reading is akin to my experience with writing this review: my mind has felt scattered over how to best organize and present my thoughts. The book also tends to feel scattered at certain points, and it has a tendency to introduce certain conflicts without fully committing to or thoroughly exploring their complexities. One example is the child-and-parent dynamics. We see that each pairing (for example, Lily and her mom versus Lily and her son) operates differently, but the exploration is surface level, often relying on what is told via monologue versus actual interaction.

As an aside, I wonder if the book may have benefited from positioning the perspectives differently. Writing the story chronologically might have made for a cohesive reading experience, albeit at the cost of that "mystery" that hangs over the readers' heads. At any rate, I will say this:

Real Americans is a case of fascinating story with convoluted execution. It always leaves you wanting more in a way— more of a certain character or more exploration of a particular relationship or concept. I can imagine this book being picked for some sort of club, and can immediately name a handful of discussion topics off the top of my head. Although I believe there's still a fair amount left to be desired, I also think it's worth the chance of reading, for its sheer ambition.

My thanks to the author (Rachel Khong), the publisher (Knopf), and NetGalley for providing the eARC through which I was able to read and write this review.