Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In Hugo Award winner Vo's mesmerizing companion to The Chosen and the Beautiful, Great Gatsby narrator Nick Carraway, here imagined as a paper doll brought to life via magic, encounters a ghost from his past. Nearly 20 years after Jay Gatsby's death, Carraway hears Gatsby's unmistakable voice during a near-fatal encounter, launching him on a supernatural quest to uncover what became of Gatsby's essence. As Carraway delves deeper into this mystery, he confronts unsettling truths about his own past and reckons with how the magic that keeps him alive also continues to pick away at him, preying on his desires, memories, and pain. While familiarity with both The Chosen and the Beautiful and The Great Gatsby enriches the reading experience, this haunting tale stands confidently apart from its predecessors and newcomers will have no trouble diving into Vo's lyrical exploration of identity, longing, and the price of immortality. Meanwhile, the expansion of the paper magic system, previously glimpsed through Jordan Baker's perspective, adds fascinating depth to this alternate history. It's an unadulterated joy to return to Vo's queer, phantasmagoric take on Fitzgerald's world. Agent: Diana Fox, Fox Literary. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
This haunting stand-alone novella follows characters from The Chosen and the Beautiful, Vo's magical, queer reimagining of The Great Gatsby. Nick Carraway has made a life in late-1930s New York City, working as a journalist and novelist and pretending that everything's fine. Pretending is all that Nick has done for years: he's a paper soldier created to protect one now long gone, slipping into Prospect Park like many other men in the city, haunted by what happened in 1922. When a chance escape from a volatile situation brings an encounter from the past, Nick realizes that the past is not done with him. Paper is a good medium for memories, and Jay Gatsby, dead and damned, has returned. Vo's prose is magical and visceral during Nick's search for the truth, and readers learn more about the past Nick has had to absorb but not live. VERDICT Vo once again vividly brings to life the world of Jazz Age New York City, intertwined with magic, devils, and ghosts of the past.--Kristi Chadwick
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