The Double Life of Benson Yu: A Novel
Multi-cultural fiction, Serious and literary fiction, Suspense and thrillers
Synthetic audio, Automated braille
Summary
&“A nuanced, complex, and highly original novel.&” —Charles Yu, National Book Award–winning author of Interior Chinatown This fresh and unique work of metafiction follows Benson Yu, a writer, who loses control of his own narrative when he attempts to write… the story of his fraught upbringing in 1980s Chinatown.In a Chinatown housing project lives twelve-year-old Benny, his ailing grandmother, and his strange neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he&’s a reincarnated medieval samurai. When his grandmother is hospitalized, Benny manages to survive on his own until a social worker comes snooping. With no other family, he is reluctantly taken in by Constantine and soon, an unlikely bond forms between the two. At least, that&’s what Yu, the narrator of the story, wants to write. The creator of a bestselling comic book, Yu is struggling with continuing the poignant tale of Benny and Constantine and can&’t help but interject from the present day, slowly revealing a darker backstory. Can Yu confront the demons he&’s spent his adult life avoiding or risk his own life...and Benny&’s?