Wow, what a great book! It was so engaging and kept me turning pages until the very end! I highly recommend it to fellow readers!

Thank you Atria Books for allowing me to read and review The Band on NetGalley.

Published: 04/16/24

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Humor & Satire

Stars: 2

My opinion: A convoluted mess with filthy dialogue. I wasn't impressed and am certain that in the marketing scheme I was counted in the +/- percent.

The synopsis along with humor & satire genre headers drew me to this book.

This wasn't written for me.

Reading this book was a distinctly disorienting experience, in the best way possible. Was I reading the author's diary? Did this thus make us best friends? Obviously the answer to both questions is no, but it still felt like a weirdly intimate experience, as if a good friend was telling me all about a recent bizarre experience she'd had, in much the same manner I recount things, minus the academic citations.

The unnamed narrator begins by talking about a fictional K-Pop group named, simply, The Band. Frankly, the only pop culture opportunity missed here was the lack of allusion to the Canadian-American group of the same name. We get a bit of a lesson on K-Pop as we're introduced to each member, plus Pinocchio, the impresario who put them together.

When a song and music video released for The Band member Sang Duri's birthday accidentally sets off an international firestorm, Duri goes into hiding in California. In an Asian grocery store, of all places, he meets and ingratiates himself with the narrator, and winds up staying in her house for a while, to the bemusement of her husband and kids. The narrator is unhappily married, and recognizes that, as a psychology professor, she has a bit of a savior complex. As her relationship with Duri unfolds, outside drama threatens to take him away from her for good.

Honestly, this book was the most grown-up version of boy band fanfic I've ever read. And, gosh, that's definitely not even describing it properly. Insofar that all boy band fiction -- hell, all fiction about musical groups -- is fanfic in some form, this brilliant homage to the musical genre easily navigates and communicates the specific nuances of K-Pop to readers like myself who know very little about it. K-Pop fans will, I imagine, find much here that speaks to them too.

What makes this more interesting than your average novel of bad romance, tho, is the amount of attention paid to cross-cultural interactions, whether they be between Asians, Asian Americans and/or white Americans. I love the acknowledgment of the broad differences between all three -- as someone who straddles both of the first two categories, I always find it desperately irritating when Asian Americans pretend that we are a monolith, and then try to extend that to people from Asia as well. It always feels like a capitulation to the kind of white people who can't be bothered to learn cultural nuances beyond othering everyone who looks racially different from themselves. The fact that Duri's "cancellation" comes about not because of being a sex pest or worse, but stems from ancient ethno-nationalistic grudges, is both a refreshing change from the usual way fame is discussed in Western culture, as well as a distinctly Asian form of ridiculousness. I drank down Christine Ma-Kellams' wry depiction of it all as if it were nourishing broth.

Because she gets it. She knows that Asian and American relations can be difficult and weird, and that Asian Americans straddling the two correctly form their own entity, a unique synthesis of both cultures that doesn't need to be wholeheartedly endorsed by either parent group to be perfectly valid. As a "younger" or perhaps I should say less established culture, Asian Americanness is allowed to choose differently from any of its inputs.

Besides her excellent observations on culture, Ms Ma-Kellams also writes with maturity and verve on the subject of love and, especially, marriage and its modern-day socioeconomic underpinnings. And, man, I get it. Raising kids is expensive and hard here in America, where the social net is so frayed that a core nuclear family often has little choice but to grimly stick together in order to pay all the bills. The author deftly and often hilariously explores the complicated feelings that necessarily arise from this status quo.

For being only a little over 200 pages, this was a very dense book that felt like a gossipy, entertaining and scandalous chat with an old friend. In much the same way that pop bands in particular encourage parasocial relationships with their fans, this book really draws in the reader with an intimacy that feels almost entirely authentic. It's an astonishingly clever feat of writing that examines, too, the perils of fame, advances in technology, and the meaning of justice. There's so much to this book that I don't even know how to categorize it really, and can only recommend it as an excellent read for any polymath who enjoys a healthy dose of pop culture with their contemporary socioeconomic musings.

The Band by Christine Ma-Kellams was published April 16 2024 by Atria Books and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781668018378">Bookshop!</a>

This book felt/read a lot more like narrative non-fiction to be completely honest, with many of the characters (outside of the MMC) being rather one-dimensional and lacking any true depth. And while it's somewhat refreshing to have the [Asian] idol worship/industry portrayed in a more realistic manner — particularly in regards to how insidious it can truly be; the entitlement fans feel they have over these very real human beings — it's those exact issues, and knowing they exist, that made this more of a difficult read for me than I expected. I do think this book can and will be eye-opening to others who may not be as well-versed or knowledgeable about this specific type of celebrity industry and so, while this may not have been my favorite read, I still believe it can be viewed as an important one.

I used to work for an outfit where there was an Asian Canadian on my team. One day, during small talk and after learning that I used to review music, he tried to impress me with his musical taste — and you need to know that he was probably still in his 20s here — by showing me a K-pop (or Korean-pop) group sampling the chorus of Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby.” I had to break it to him that the source material was Queen and David Bowie. So, what’s the point of this story? If you’re into current pop and not much else, then I would suspect that your affinity for music only goes back so far. And, as I’d like to think, K-pop is a genre of music that speaks specifically to the now. It doesn’t get nostalgic for anything further back than what most millennials will remember. That’s why listening to K-pop is, I believe, a young person’s game. (But, Internet, prove me wrong.) In any event, Christine Ma-Kellams’ debut novel, The Band, is about a K-pop group that is more famous than the Royal Family (if looking at social media hits was solely considered) and what happens when one of the core members suddenly decides to leave and ends up in southern California.

To wit, a young man known as Sang Duri, also known as “Pretty Boy,” is the oldest member of a K-pop group called The Band, and in keeping with what I just said in the preceding paragraph, the author of this novel seems unaware that there was a musical group of the same name that existed in the late ’60s and early ’70s — ahem, they were famous enough to be Bob Dylan’s backing band if you know who he is. (The guy has, after all, won a thing known as the Nobel Prize for Literature.) Anyhow, Duri winds up leaving the band at the height of its fame because — for reasons that are a little confusing — he got canceled for having a solo song and video that was somehow offensive to Japanese people. (I’ve read the book and have concluded that, whatever it was that drew people’s ire, didn’t seem to be all that offensive, but maybe my skin is thick.) So, he’s walking along in an H-Mart in California and strikes up a conversation with a middle-aged Chinese woman who is happily married to a white man and with whom she has had two kids with. Next thing you know, Duri is living with the woman and her family, while receiving a bit of therapy from her as she is a psychology professor at a local university or college, where she does most of the work from home. That’s pretty much it as far as the plot goes — at least, without revealing any major spoilers, as some interesting stuff does happen towards the back of the read.

The Band — if you look past its pop-culture blindness — is an affable read and a wonderful piece of wish fulfillment. The book covers a lot of ground, from #MeToo feminism to deranged fans to AI-generated holograms and on and on and on. As such, it is a book meant to be read in the year 2024, and probably won’t have much of a shelf life — at least, once K-pop recedes and becomes something fondly looked at in the rear-view mirror. That’s an apt comparison because bubble-gum music is meant to be consumed and enjoyed all at once with no lasting staying power, which is what I think is going to happen to this genre of music — not that I’m an expert in it or anything. (I’m not saying that sarcastically. I just haven’t come across a lot of this music in my travels. I’ve heard of BTS, for instance, but I don’t think I’ve heard them.) Having said that, I think The Band is a tremendously enjoyable book. But nobody is going to come to recognize it as an instant classic or something we’ll all still be reading 100 years from now (well, for those of us still alive by then). It’s a fun and invigorating read and it’s short, too. My Kindle had pegged my reading speed for this one at three and a half hours. But does that mean that this novel is inscrutable within its genre parameters?

Well, no. The Band has an annoying tendency to drop footnotes, as though the writing was somehow more academically inclined to warrant such as thing. Footnotes are a dicey proposition at any time, but particularly in a novel on a Kindle, which is ill-equipped to handle them. The use of footnotes can also render your work as being pretentious, which is not what I think the author was going for. And as usual for the case of books featuring music as a significant backdrop, it’s crying out for an accompanying soundtrack to let people know just what music like this would sound like. (It’s a combination of hip-hop and pop at rapid-fire speeds, and I would like to know what the mishmash between Korean and English lyrics would sound like.) Still, despite all of that, readers with a taste for current music are going to have a whole lot of joy with this book. It’s kind of a little like The Bodyguard, but with the romance element muted and more platonic. And I must say it’s refreshing to read a book where the male and female leads aren’t jumping in the sack with each other. Thus, The Band gets a pass — even if it’s oblivious to its pop culture history. I’m sure this is the book that crazy rich Asians everywhere will be reading this summer at the beach or the backyard barbeque. And then, I’m equally sure, we’ll all just forget about it and move along to the next big shiny bauble. That’s not a condemnation, just an admission that we probably won’t be hearing much more about this book when September finally rolls around. Because, you know, pop culture is a transient sort of thing.

I liked reading this book, especially being it was about K-pop because I have a lot of friends who are into Kpop but I know little about it but I'm fascinated by the way the bands are created and how the entertainment industry in Korea works. I think the talks of mental health, fan culture, and all that goes with it is an interesting idea and I like that this book talked about it because from what I've seen with the kpop industry, it is not an industry to talk much about it (however it luckily seems to be changing). I like how the book focused on one member primarily but also gave light to each member and allowed for me to learn about them. I think that it was a cool book with a good concept.

I’m always mesmerized by pop culture and those that live in the spotlight, so when I heard about The Band, I was instantly drawn to the concept. I don’t know much about K-Pop aside from very mainstream things and a few documentaries, but the overall plot of being part of a band, having obsessive fans, and living under a microscope are things prevalent in pop culture, so it was easy to fall into this plot.

While I loved the overall concept, the evolution of the story, and the ultimate ending, it did take me a while to get there. I actually almost DNF’d this book, but decided to go back and read another chapter, which I’m very happy I did! The first few chapters feel disjointed, as the author provides a lot of background information that is interesting, but hard to conceptualize how it will all fit together. Once the story started to focus more on Duri, the connections became clearer and I was hooked on finding out how things would end.

I loved, loved, loved the narrator’s humor! She felt so real, from her personal struggles, to her opinions and observations.

Give this one a chance to build up and then enjoy the satirical ride!

I am a fan of k-pop, I enjoy a good analytical piece, but I'm ...not sure if I realized what I was going into when I started this book. I appreciate what it was trying to do and the commentary it was trying to make, but I think it just didn't work for me sadly!

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for a chance to read and review.

This book intrigued me because of it being about a K-Pop group. It's not secret that K-Pop is slowly taking over the world (which it absolutely should because it's awesome!) and I really wanted to love this one. But I ended the book not really understanding why this written? Like there wasn't really much of a plot. There was no character development. There was no true drama that ended up getting resolved. It was a book full of revenge but even that ending was not satisfying at all.

I did rate it a 3 star though because it was enjoyable. But I am writing this and wondering if it was enjoyable because I was hoping something would start clicking and making sense or that I just needed something mindless to read. I did like that it basically read like one of those band documentaries that used to be on Vh1. And I did like the humor bits through it all. But that is about all I can really say about my feelings on this one.

This had some funny moments, some silly eye roll moments that made me laugh. I understand it is being satirical about adoration of K-pop bands, but it felt a little too messy for me. Sometimes I was confused, and wasn't sure what was happening. The author did bring it all together by the end, though it was messy to get there. I think if you like K-pop and the K-pop culture, you will probably "get it" better.

The Band
By Christine Ma-Kellams
Atria Books
April 2024

Review by Cynthia Chow

“The Band” begins with a breezy narration full of footnotes covering the rise – and fall? – of a female Korean Pop Band attempting to forge their success in the States. They hope that connecting with another Korean Idol who has found popularity in America will give them a boost up, but ominous hints would indicate that it’s about to go wrong. Our narrator then takes us to the Producer’s follow-up Korean boy band unimaginatively named The Band, but whose popularity has become so phenomenal that it’s the only name they need. Sang Duri was one of the five members known as the Pretty One until his very personal song lyrics had his country and his fanbase turn on him and essentially make him “cancelled.” His disappearance from public events is a mystery not just to his fanbase but to his fellow bandmates, for whom mental health is an issue but not something to be discussed.

Here the narration turns to an H-Mart in Los Angeles, where Duri runs into a somewhat dissatisfied Chinese-American psychologist. Through somewhat muddled advice over proper Asian cooking from his phone’s interpreter app, Duri somehow convinces her to allow him into her home to cook Tteokbokki. Her two young sons Kilim and Sam rather complacently accept Duri into their home, while her husband Luc is confused but genially accepts the young man into their home. While the psychologist – only once in passing referred to as being named Mae- attempts to help Duri adjust to life outside of being just Pretty Boy and forge the next step in his future, she also confronts how other’s perception over her Asian American identity has affected her life. From questionable racially appropriated Halloween costumes to her choice of college majors, being Chinese American has influenced her more than she would like to admit. While these two are living in their suburban bubble The Band and their manager dodge questions from the press and must decide if the time is right to move on without their fifth member or continue along as The Smart One, the English-speaking Leader, the Dancer with Dimples, and the Dancer with sings like an Angel. The mystery of the female K-Pop band lingers in the background, with events culminating in an explosive concert performance.

You would almost have to live under a rock to be unaware of the K-Pop and Korean Drama phenomenon. It would also be difficult to have ignored the prevalence of suicides among Korean Influencers, Actors, and Musicians, all of whom are idolized for their perfection and feel the pressure to unrealistically live up to it. Fanbases can be powerful, toxic, and prone to pivot at the first hint of a perceived betrayal, so they are often feared as much by their idols as by any perceived rivals. This makes it fascinating to delve into this world through the eyes of the Chinese-American psychologist and Duri, who is having difficulty adjusting to a life full of choices. As restrictive as his boyband life was, having every hotel stay, meal choice, and fashion wear decided for him was comforting. Both Duri and Mae are unhappy and dissatisfied, but throughout the novel they find connections and help the other to at least move out of being stagnant and find a happier path. Footnotes add much humor to the novel, layering on biting commentary along with information that is not required but definitely helpful. The pressure to be perfect, through plastic surgery, constant workouts, and filtered Instagrams, weigh upon all of the Band. The immigration experience, whether first, second, or third also is examined as being the more acceptable “model” immigrant has its own burdens along with the irony of then often turning on other, later migrants. This is a very fun read for fans of the K-Pop phenomenon or anyone feeling too comfortable and stagnant in their life.

DNF at 15%

The Band reminds me of Esther Yi’s Y/N in several ways: both use fictionalized stories about K Pop idols to examine celebrity, fandom, and obsession, and share similar writing styles and aesthetics. However, I struggle with esoteric prose, so I found myself disappointed. I love thoughtful examinations of celebrity culture and fandom, but not ones that feel inaccessible due to their esoteric tones. This wasn’t the book for me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was witty and bordered on satirical. There were a couple times where I said "oh snap" out loud, much to the chagrin of my dog.

In The Band by Christine Ma Kellum the book starts at the end after one of the members writes a song about his dad who is a fisherman and he turns into a fish at the end of the song the dad is eating the fish he caught in that includes him and everyone was up in arms saying he’s obviously Japanese and then Japanese people were saying we’re not cannibals end it was a whole kerfuffle so the guy who wrote the song goes in hiding. The rest of the book is how their managers who are called Pinocchio and Frankenstein started managing first a failed girl group and then “the band“ I just want to say the guy who goes into hiding pics one of the worst places to hide out and that just causes more problems. The beginning of the book I thought was written in a frantic style but as it was tweets and Snapchat ET see it kind of makes sense also I thought the conversations between the band members that were left really made me laugh out loud I at first didn’t like the book as I said due to the frantic style but the more I read the more I loved these boys and found the book really funny and I love funny books. Having said that I didn’t like the format so much I wish it would’ve just been a straight on story but the author got their point across and even with these drawbacks this is still a book I enjoyed and definitely recommend. If you like pop culture funny banter and a pretty good plot then you’ll definitely like this book. There is so much to be said for the great parts that I am totally recommending it as I said. I want to thank atria books for my free arc copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this darkly humorous and snappy novel. I liked the idea of a K Pop idol falling from fame and finding a way back by way of a psychiatrist that will save him. Social media can be hash and cruel with criticism, but isn't that the assumed price of "making it" and being in the public eye? This is such a timely and relevant theme.

Thank you Christine Ma-Kellams for taking me on this ride. Also, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy.

The Band was satirical but in a dicey kind of way. Very unfiltered and jumps all over the place. One second we were talking about churros, the next moment we were talking about oblivion!

It does shed light on how hurtful micro aggression can be though!

We find out pretty early on what got the Duri cancelled. It was interesting that this story is told through the perspective of the psychologist and the band manager. I’m glad I stuck it out to the end because it got slightly better, but still not a book I’m crazy about.

Truly the only depth we get from the characters is what you read on the back cover. Don’t expect to learn much else about them. She’s in a boring marriage and he got cancelled! Finished this feeling very “whatever”. It’s a quick read, so if the summary is calling you in, I’d say go for it — but don’t blame me if you don’t like The Band!

It’s time for me to read a romance and cleanse my palette. Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting debut that looks at the toxic side of K-pop celebrity, fandom and cancel culture. This one sounded really good but I honestly struggled to stay invested right through to the end. Okay on audio, this was a miss for me but is sure to appeal to those who enjoy books about the dark side of celebrity culture. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The band is a k-pop phenomena that is at the apex of fame. Their “visual” duri accidentally finds himself creating a controversy and decides to drop out of the public eye and disappear from the fan. He ends up entangled with an unhappy psychologist who tries to shield him, while his producer struggles with reconciling his past with a girl group.

This is not an upbeat, lighthearted look at fandom and stardom. It is much darker and nuanced and explores its themes of fandom, cancel culture, AI, mental health with care and precision. It is well-written and thought provoking, just not exactly what I expected! I think many readers will easily love this-just have to know to expect a darker ride.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kpop fandom, but make it litfic.

A Los Angeles therapist finds herself sheltering a Kpop megastar on the run after his latest solo single leads to a near-global fallout. While the remaining members are left to wonder and worry over Duri’s whereabouts, his producer has to face a reemergence of repressed memories from his first project, a girl group from a decade earlier that ended in tragedy.

Marketing is everything these days — it can make or break a book. There was a novel I read in March that I enjoyed a lot, but it was labeled romantasy..and the TikTok girlies itching for their next Fourth Wing were wildly out of their depths, resulting in scores of one- and two-star early reviews. THE BAND is currently seeing some of the same negative reviews which is such a shame! Friends, this book opens with a Rachel Cusk quote! It’s likened to MOUTH TO MOUTH (one of my top reads of 2022, and an incredibly apt comparison!)

A cutesy celeb romcom this is not. Think more Claire Dederer’s MONSTERS than Elissa Sussman. There’s a legit bibliography page that references all the case studies mentioned in the footnotes (!! be still, my heart!), frank conversations regarding SA and suicide (while pointing out how money can make a person untouchable), and a stark depiction of the objectification that Kpop thrives on with little to no regard for the performers’ emotional and mental wellbeing. The same fanbase that professes their obsessive love one day can turn toxic and dangerous the next. I couldn’t look away.

I don’t want to jinx myself 🤞🏻 but I’ve been having a stroke of luck finding short novels that pack a punch. THE BAND is barely over 220 pages and each one had me hooked. What a fantastic read and I’m already looking forward to whatever Christine does next!

Christine Ma-Kellams' "The Band" offers a unique narrative set in the captivating world of K-pop, delving into the complexities of fame, identity, and relationships. At the center of the story is Sang Duri, the visual of a Korean boy band, whose life takes a drastic turn after a solo single sparks controversy, leading to his sudden disappearance.

Ma-Kellams weaves a poetic tale filled with vivid imagery and intricate character dynamics. However, while the narrative promises intrigue and depth, it may not fully resonate with all readers. The book's stylistic approach, characterized by its extensive detail and poetic prose, may present a challenge for those seeking a more straightforward storytelling experience.

As a satire of the K-pop industry, "The Band" offers sharp commentary on themes such as fandom obsession and the pressures of stardom. Yet, its exaggerated portrayal and verbose writing style might alienate some readers, particularly those within the target audience of K-pop stans.

While I appreciate the author's bold exploration of these themes, I found myself struggling to fully engage with the narrative due to its overwritten nature. As a result, while I acknowledge that there may be readers who will resonate deeply with "The Band," it ultimately did not align with my personal preferences.

In conclusion, "The Band" by Christine Ma-Kellams is a thought-provoking read that offers a unique perspective on the world of K-pop. However, its dense prose and exaggerated storytelling may not appeal to all readers, particularly those looking for a more accessible narrative.