Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society―she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
In this retelling of "The Great Gatsby," Nghi Vo—whose writing I absolutely adore—stays mostly true to the original storyline, while criticizing it through a socially-conscious, twenty-first century eye. Her version of Jordan Baker is unique and compelling in terms of background, personality, and character development—the perfect narrator. Plus, the magic felt like a natural inclusion, perfectly woven into the characters and settings we already know. At times, I wanted a dramatic divergence from the original story, but it wasn't meant to be; although, by the end, the conclusion feels inevitable. Even if the original wasn't for you (as it wasn't for me), I highly recommend this book, as I see myself rereading it in the future.
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