White Ivy
A Novel
by Susie Yang
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Pub Date Nov 03 2020 | Archive Date Apr 05 2023
Simon & Schuster | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books
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Description
A young woman’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into the immigrant experience, as it hurtles to its electrifying ending.
Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.
Raised outside of Boston, Ivy’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates.
Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate.
Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she’s worked so hard to build.
Filled with surprising twists and a nuanced exploration of class and race, White Ivy is a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.
Advance Praise
"A truly addictive read." — Glamour
"It's a testament to Susie Yang's skill that she can explore and upend our ideas of class, race, family, and identity while moving us through a plot that twists in such wonderful ways. But none of that would matter nearly as much if not for the truly unforgettable narrator, Ivy, who is so hypnotic, the way her voice feels both wild and controlled. She ran right through me." — Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestelling author of Nothing to See Here
"Yang’s dark, spellbinding debut gives insight into the immigrant experience and life in the upper class, challenging the stereotypes and perceptions associated with both. The surprising twists, elegant prose, and complex characters in this coming-of-age story make this a captivating read." — Booklist (starred review)
"What begins as a story of a young woman’s struggles to assimilate quickly becomes a much darker tale of love, lies, and obsession, in which there are no boundaries to finding the fulfillment of one’s own dreams. Yang’s skill in creating surprising, even shocking plot twists will leave readers breathless." — Library Journal (starred review)
"In Ivy, Yang has created an ambitious and sharp yet believably flawed heroine who will win over any reader, and the accomplished plot is layered and full of revelations. This is a beguiling and shattering coming-of-age story." — Publishers Weekly
“White Ivy is dark and delicious. Ivy Lin eviscerates the model minority stereotype with a smile on her lips and a boot on your neck. Cancel your weekend plans, because you won’t be able to take your eyes off Ivy Lin.” — Lucy Tan, author of What We Were Promised
“White Ivy is magic and a necessary corrective both to the stereotypes and the pieties that too easily characterize the immigrant experience. Most pleasing of all is the story of Ivy Lin, a daring young woman in search of herself, and not soon to be forgotten.” — Joshua Ferris, prize-winning author of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
"Elegant and terrifying, steely and sparkling, White Ivy is a propulsive story told with the satisfying simplicity of a classic." — Rebecca Dinerstein Knight, author of Hex
"Bold, daring, and sexy, White Ivy is the immigrant story we’ve been dying to hear. Rather than submit to love, Ivy seeks it out, sinks her teeth into it, and doesn’t let go. A stunning debut." — Neel Patel, author of If You See Me, Don't Say Hi HPARK1007 -
Marketing Plan
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781982100599 |
| PRICE | $26.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Joann I, Librarian
A coming of age immigrant story that has a lot to offer. This is a story about a Chinese immigrant family's upbringing. The story focuses on our protagonist Ivy. The readers learn about the life between two worlds through Ivy's lens. A close family portrait that explores familial traditions and the question in forming one's identity. But this isn't just about an immigrant experience but a coming of age story that follows our protagonist's adolescence to adulthood.
Ivy is not a likable nor a noble character. However, as the readers witness Ivy's upbringing we do get a glimpse of why Ivy is the way she is. This novel is surrounded by a pool of unlikable characters but this is what made the novel stand out. We are surrounded by rotten characters and we are witnessing a survival of the fittest inside this pool. The more terrible a character's deed the better chance of success and survival. The characters are gritty, heavily flawed and complex. But in a way, these characters felt very real. Life and relationships are messy and this novel reflects this notion. Ivy's drive is through her underlying philosophical questions on her desires, greed, love, acceptance and identity. The tremendous attribute the author brings to the table is empathy. We may disagree with Ivy's decisions but she provides at least for me a empathetic view on Ivy's life choices through her experiences. A pleasantly surprised debut novel by Susie Yang. This is the author's potential beginning and will continue to keep an eye out for her future works.
Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with this amazing ARC!
Librarian 641335
I really enjoyed this book! It would be difficult for me to put this book into one genre. It has some elements of suspense but it's very character-driven.
The book is told from the perspective of Ivy Lin. Ivy's family and Ivy herself were all born in China. Her parents immigrated when Ivy was a baby, and they left Ivy behind for a few years in the care of her grandmother. Eventually they sent for Ivy so they could raise her in America. Upon her arrival at the airport she discovers that she has a baby brother, who obviously was born there in the States. As a young girl, Ivy struggles to fit in with her American classmates. She wants to assimilate but she feels her family is holding her back from doing so. A little later in Ivy's childhood, her grandmother also comes to America to live with the family.
I don't want to post spoilers so I won't go too much into the rest of the plot, but what I enjoyed was seeing how hard it was for Ivy to fit in anywhere and how difficult it was for her to find direction in her life. And I also think this book reflects how much our upbringing can affect our choices, even as adults. I really recommend this book. It's very compelling.
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Annie M, Librarian
BLOWN AWAY. This was completely and totally INCREDIBLE. An engaging character study, and a thrilling page turner (so rare to find that combination!) I adored every second of this, and found myself stopping for deep breaths occasionally. My favorite quarantine read of yet!
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