Literature & Fiction
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Last Night at the Telegraph Club
Winner of the National Book Award
"Proof of Malinda Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger."-O: The Oprah Magazine
"The queer romance we've been waiting for."-Ms. Magazine
A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root-that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father-despite his hard-won citizenship-Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
"Proof of Malinda Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger."-O: The Oprah Magazine
"The queer romance we've been waiting for."-Ms. Magazine
A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root-that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father-despite his hard-won citizenship-Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Editorial Reviews
The first time Lily had gone to Thrifty had been sometime last year. She had ducked in to buy a box of Kotex, because she hadn't wanted to get them at the pharmacy in Chinatown, where she'd risk running into people she knew. Thrifty was just outside the neighborhood, so her friends didn't usually go there. She had soon discovered that Thrifty had another advantage over the Chinatown pharmacy: it had a very good selection of paperback novels. There were several rotating racks of them in a sheltered alcove beyond the sanitary napkin aisle. One was full of thrillers with lurid covers depicting scantily clad women in the embrace of swarthy men. Lily normally bypassed that rack but today she paused, drawn in byThe Castle of Blood, on which the blonde's red gown seemed about to slip off her substantial bosom, nipples straining against the thin fabric.
The book rack alcove was normally deserted, but even so, Lily spun the rack self-consciously, retreating behind it so that she was hidden from view. The women on these book covers seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their clothes on. The men loomed behind them or clutched them in muscular arms, bending the women's bodies backward so that their breasts pointed up.
There was something disturbing about the illustrations-and it wasn't the leering men. It was the women's pliant bodies, their bare legs and lush breasts, mouths like shiny red candies. One of the books had two women on the cover, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a pink negligee and knelt on the ground, eyes cast down demurely while the shapely brunette lurked behind her. The title wasStrange Season, and the tagline read, "She couldn't escape the unnatural desires of her heart."
An electric thrill went through Lily. She glanced around the edge of the book rack, sharply conscious that she was still in public, but although she could hear the ringing of the cash register at the front of the store, she didn't see anyone approaching her corner. She went back to the book, opening it carefully so that she didn't crease the spine, and began to read. The book was about two women in New York City: a young and inexperienced blonde, Patrice; and an older brunette, Maxine. When Patrice was jilted by her boyfriend in public, Maxine took pity on her and helped her get home. Thus began their somewhat confusing relationship, which veered from Maxine setting up Patrice with new men, to strangely suggestive conversations between the two women.
About halfway through the book, things took a turn. Patrice arrived unexpectedly at Maxine's Fifth Avenue penthouse, distraught after a bad date, and Maxine began to comfort her.
"Why do I want to kiss you?" Patrice whispered as Maxine stroked her long blond hair.
Maxine's fingers jerked, but...
The book rack alcove was normally deserted, but even so, Lily spun the rack self-consciously, retreating behind it so that she was hidden from view. The women on these book covers seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their clothes on. The men loomed behind them or clutched them in muscular arms, bending the women's bodies backward so that their breasts pointed up.
There was something disturbing about the illustrations-and it wasn't the leering men. It was the women's pliant bodies, their bare legs and lush breasts, mouths like shiny red candies. One of the books had two women on the cover, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a pink negligee and knelt on the ground, eyes cast down demurely while the shapely brunette lurked behind her. The title wasStrange Season, and the tagline read, "She couldn't escape the unnatural desires of her heart."
An electric thrill went through Lily. She glanced around the edge of the book rack, sharply conscious that she was still in public, but although she could hear the ringing of the cash register at the front of the store, she didn't see anyone approaching her corner. She went back to the book, opening it carefully so that she didn't crease the spine, and began to read. The book was about two women in New York City: a young and inexperienced blonde, Patrice; and an older brunette, Maxine. When Patrice was jilted by her boyfriend in public, Maxine took pity on her and helped her get home. Thus began their somewhat confusing relationship, which veered from Maxine setting up Patrice with new men, to strangely suggestive conversations between the two women.
About halfway through the book, things took a turn. Patrice arrived unexpectedly at Maxine's Fifth Avenue penthouse, distraught after a bad date, and Maxine began to comfort her.
"Why do I want to kiss you?" Patrice whispered as Maxine stroked her long blond hair.
Maxine's fingers jerked, but...
Readers Top Reviews
KirstieSnoopyLucyIzz
I will write a proper review at some point, but for now I just want to say how much I loved this novel. I appreciate that even though the story is fiction it is based upon very real attitudes and events that would have happened at the time. The use of language and the inclusion of Chinese languages with translations in the footnotes adds a whole other layer to the novel. Honestly it’s brilliant, I couldn’t put it down.
Holly R.
Malinda Lo is one of my favourite authors and I always anticipate her books coming out, but this novel hits on a different level. The story is poignant and powerful and I found the history very fascinating as someone who is neither Asian or American. It was eyeopening. I feel like Malinda has really honed her craft and it's demonstrated within this novel. Sad it's over so soon! Also Tommy *heart-eyes*
April Adams
I’m so in love with this beautiful and heartfelt story because it gave me a vivid snapshot of what Chinatown, San Francisco was really like and I felt as though I was experiencing every moment with Lily. I really wished this book was around when I was a teenager because I could totally relate to the tough choices Lily had to make. I’m anxiously awaiting this author’s next story because I can’t wait to see what she does next!
K. Bird Lincoln
1950's San Francisco Chinatown is complicated enough for second generation Chinese teenagers, what with racism whenever they leave their safe neighborhoods, the Nationalists vs Communists entangling families in politics, and the ever present Red Scare excusing blatant police and enforcement inequities. Imagine falling in love with a white person of your own gender at that time. Lily is fascinated by the ad for a male impersonator at a local club. When she realizes the only other girl in her advanced math class also likes that ad, she begins sneaking out of her house and her "good Chinese daughter" persona to hang out in a club where terms like "butch" and "dyke" show her another world where women like her live and love. Lily is naive, and loving, and just wants to do the right thing, but she'll have to face the constant choice of living true to herself or telling lies to appease her family. The romance in this is understated and reserved, and its far more a historical exploration of 1950's Chinatown culture and the most interesting (to me ) intersection of cultures where the second generation children of immigrant parents must negotiate their identities within conflicting expectations. Lily is part of a large extended family that includes close knit families of Chinatown and her actions have repercussions on many people-- including her non-citizen father. I didn't personally care for the sudden changes in POV to Lily's mother and Aunt...they added little to the tale I thought and their voices were too similar to Lily's to be interesting to me. I found myself skimming those bits to get back to Lily. The addition of timelines with historical and Lily's family events were interesting, but also confusing as the flashbacks jumped back and forth. Very historically interesting, sweet, tale that keeps you anxious for Lily's welfare but never goes down a truly dark path.
Berni
I was thinking about this book in relation to the last book I read. In the last book, the protagonist was a straight white woman. I did not connect with her, despite being a straight white woman myself. Lo is such a good author that I had no problem connecting with her heroine, a high school-aged Chinese girl in the 1950s who discovers she is a lesbian. This is a fabulous novel: as a coming of age story, as historical fiction, and as a look at the pervasive racism and sexism of the time. Lily Hu is a good Chinese girl. She is best friends with Shirley Lum, another good Chinese girls. They live in Chinatown in San Francisco and their whole world is pretty Chinese except their high school. Lily already is not quite like them, though. She is fascinated with space and would love to go to space one day. Her friends don't understand why a girl would want that. The only person who might understand is the only other girl in the advanced math class, Kath Miller, a white girl. Lily sees an ad for a club featuring a male impersonator and becomes quietly obsessed with it. Kath hesitantly tells her that she has been there and they make plans to go together. Despite their cultural differences, Lily has much more in common with Kath, who wants to be a pilot, than all the other good Chinese girls. It's only natural they become friends. Lily finds she doesn't fit in the little box labeled "good Chinese girl" as well as everyone thinks. Of course she's a good daughter, good student, good sister, good friend. But she's not so eager to marry a good Chinese boy and have little Chinese babies. I liked the character of her Aunt Judy, who is a computer at JPL (back in the days when computers were women who were good at math). I was rather wishing that Aunt Judy would reveal that she felt the same way and denied herself to be a good Chinese girl. Ah, well. At least her career made her a good role model for her niece.
Short Excerpt Teaser
The first time Lily had gone to Thrifty had been sometime last year. She had ducked in to buy a box of Kotex, because she hadn't wanted to get them at the pharmacy in Chinatown, where she'd risk running into people she knew. Thrifty was just outside the neighborhood, so her friends didn't usually go there. She had soon discovered that Thrifty had another advantage over the Chinatown pharmacy: it had a very good selection of paperback novels. There were several rotating racks of them in a sheltered alcove beyond the sanitary napkin aisle. One was full of thrillers with lurid covers depicting scantily clad women in the embrace of swarthy men. Lily normally bypassed that rack but today she paused, drawn in byThe Castle of Blood, on which the blonde's red gown seemed about to slip off her substantial bosom, nipples straining against the thin fabric.
The book rack alcove was normally deserted, but even so, Lily spun the rack self-consciously, retreating behind it so that she was hidden from view. The women on these book covers seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their clothes on. The men loomed behind them or clutched them in muscular arms, bending the women's bodies backward so that their breasts pointed up.
There was something disturbing about the illustrations-and it wasn't the leering men. It was the women's pliant bodies, their bare legs and lush breasts, mouths like shiny red candies. One of the books had two women on the cover, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a pink negligee and knelt on the ground, eyes cast down demurely while the shapely brunette lurked behind her. The title wasStrange Season, and the tagline read, "She couldn't escape the unnatural desires of her heart."
An electric thrill went through Lily. She glanced around the edge of the book rack, sharply conscious that she was still in public, but although she could hear the ringing of the cash register at the front of the store, she didn't see anyone approaching her corner. She went back to the book, opening it carefully so that she didn't crease the spine, and began to read. The book was about two women in New York City: a young and inexperienced blonde, Patrice; and an older brunette, Maxine. When Patrice was jilted by her boyfriend in public, Maxine took pity on her and helped her get home. Thus began their somewhat confusing relationship, which veered from Maxine setting up Patrice with new men, to strangely suggestive conversations between the two women.
About halfway through the book, things took a turn. Patrice arrived unexpectedly at Maxine's Fifth Avenue penthouse, distraught after a bad date, and Maxine began to comfort her.
"Why do I want to kiss you?" Patrice whispered as Maxine stroked her long blond hair.
Maxine's fingers jerked, but then she resumed the rhythmic petting. "I don't know, Patty, why do you?"
Patrice twisted around on the couch, rising to her knees. "Max, I'd rather be here with you than on any date!"
Lily turned the page, her heart racing, and she could barely believe what she read next.
Maxine pushed Patrice back against the velvet cushions, lowering her mouth to the girl's creamy skin. "You're like me, Patrice. Stop fighting the possibility." Patrice whimpered as Maxine pressed her lips to her neck.
"Max, what are you doing?" Patrice gasped. "This is shameful."
"You know what I'm doing," Maxine whispered. She unbuttoned Patrice's blouse and slid the fabric over Patrice's shoulder, stroking her breasts. Patrice let out a sigh of pure pleasure.
"Kiss me now," Patrice whispered.
Maxine obeyed, and the sensation of Patrice's mouth against hers was a delight far beyond shame.
Lily heard the creak of wheels rolling in her direction, and she quickly peeked around the book rack, her skin flushed. A clerk was pushing a metal cart stacked with boxes of Kleenex past the shelves of Modess and Kotex. She hurriedly closed the book and stuffed it into the rack behind the novelFramed in Guilt. She sidled over to the next rack-science fiction-and pretended to peruse the books.
Her position enabled her to keep an eye on the clerk, who was restocking the shelves at the end of the aisle. She itched to return toStrange Season, but she didn't dare read it while the clerk was so nearby-and she could never, ever buy it. The clerk was moving so slowly she felt as if she might jump out of her skin.Usually the science fiction rack was her favorite, but today her eyes skipped over the cover illustrations of planets and rocket ships without registering them. She couldn't stop imagining Patrice and Maxine on that couch together. She wanted to know-sheneeded to know-what happened next...
The book rack alcove was normally deserted, but even so, Lily spun the rack self-consciously, retreating behind it so that she was hidden from view. The women on these book covers seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping their clothes on. The men loomed behind them or clutched them in muscular arms, bending the women's bodies backward so that their breasts pointed up.
There was something disturbing about the illustrations-and it wasn't the leering men. It was the women's pliant bodies, their bare legs and lush breasts, mouths like shiny red candies. One of the books had two women on the cover, a blonde and a brunette. The blonde wore a pink negligee and knelt on the ground, eyes cast down demurely while the shapely brunette lurked behind her. The title wasStrange Season, and the tagline read, "She couldn't escape the unnatural desires of her heart."
An electric thrill went through Lily. She glanced around the edge of the book rack, sharply conscious that she was still in public, but although she could hear the ringing of the cash register at the front of the store, she didn't see anyone approaching her corner. She went back to the book, opening it carefully so that she didn't crease the spine, and began to read. The book was about two women in New York City: a young and inexperienced blonde, Patrice; and an older brunette, Maxine. When Patrice was jilted by her boyfriend in public, Maxine took pity on her and helped her get home. Thus began their somewhat confusing relationship, which veered from Maxine setting up Patrice with new men, to strangely suggestive conversations between the two women.
About halfway through the book, things took a turn. Patrice arrived unexpectedly at Maxine's Fifth Avenue penthouse, distraught after a bad date, and Maxine began to comfort her.
"Why do I want to kiss you?" Patrice whispered as Maxine stroked her long blond hair.
Maxine's fingers jerked, but then she resumed the rhythmic petting. "I don't know, Patty, why do you?"
Patrice twisted around on the couch, rising to her knees. "Max, I'd rather be here with you than on any date!"
Lily turned the page, her heart racing, and she could barely believe what she read next.
Maxine pushed Patrice back against the velvet cushions, lowering her mouth to the girl's creamy skin. "You're like me, Patrice. Stop fighting the possibility." Patrice whimpered as Maxine pressed her lips to her neck.
"Max, what are you doing?" Patrice gasped. "This is shameful."
"You know what I'm doing," Maxine whispered. She unbuttoned Patrice's blouse and slid the fabric over Patrice's shoulder, stroking her breasts. Patrice let out a sigh of pure pleasure.
"Kiss me now," Patrice whispered.
Maxine obeyed, and the sensation of Patrice's mouth against hers was a delight far beyond shame.
Lily heard the creak of wheels rolling in her direction, and she quickly peeked around the book rack, her skin flushed. A clerk was pushing a metal cart stacked with boxes of Kleenex past the shelves of Modess and Kotex. She hurriedly closed the book and stuffed it into the rack behind the novelFramed in Guilt. She sidled over to the next rack-science fiction-and pretended to peruse the books.
Her position enabled her to keep an eye on the clerk, who was restocking the shelves at the end of the aisle. She itched to return toStrange Season, but she didn't dare read it while the clerk was so nearby-and she could never, ever buy it. The clerk was moving so slowly she felt as if she might jump out of her skin.Usually the science fiction rack was her favorite, but today her eyes skipped over the cover illustrations of planets and rocket ships without registering them. She couldn't stop imagining Patrice and Maxine on that couch together. She wanted to know-sheneeded to know-what happened next...
