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Deceit and Other Possibilities
Deceit and Other Possibilities | Vanessa Hua
15 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 16 to read
In this powerful debut collection, Vanessa Hua gives voice to immigrant families navigating a new America. Tied to their ancestral and adopted homelands in ways unimaginable in generations past, these memorable characters straddle both worlds but belong to none. These stories shine a light on immigrant families navigating a new America, straddling cultures and continents, veering between dream and disappointment. From a Hong Kong movie idol fleeing a sex scandal, to an obedient daughter turned Stanford pretender, from a Chinatown elder summoned to his village, to a Korean-American pastor with a secret agenda, the characters in the collection illustrate the conflict between self and society, tradition and change. In "What We Have is What We Need," winner of The Atlantic student fiction prize, a boy from Mexico reunites with his parents in San Francisco. When he suspects his mother has found love elsewhere, he fights to keep his family together. With insight and wit, she writes about what wounds us and what we must survive. Deceit and Other Possibilities marks the emergence of a remarkable new writer. Vanessa Hua is an award-winning journalist and writer, and a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. For nearly two decades, she has been writing about Asia and the diaspora, filing stories from China, Burma, Panama, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, and Ecuador. Her fiction has appeared in The Atlantic, ZYZZYVA, Guernica, and elsewhere.
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review
JoeMo
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Mehso-so

This collection started well, I was really into the first two stories. The premise of the book became tiring though. The idea is that the main character is hiding things from others or being deceived by others. With some of the stories, I just didn‘t care about the characters or what happened to them. That being said, the author has talent with a unique way of describing things. This collection would probably click for a number of readers.

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Bertha_Mason

"Immanuel sat on the bed and bowed his head—defeated as David had ever seen him, less of himself, unable to fill out his contours. A flat tire."

-"The Deal"

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Bertha_Mason

"They passed a stand that sold nothing but used T-shirts emblazoned with the logos of imploded dot-coms. *This is where failure finds another life*, David thought."

-"The Deal"

3 likes1 comment
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Bertha_Mason

"His odor gamey and mildewed as a wrestling mat."

-"Loaves and Fishes"

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Bertha_Mason

"He apologized and slipped the phone into the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie, but within moments, he was texting again. His hands furtive and compulsive, as if he were jacking off on a park bench."

-"Loaves and Fishes"

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Bertha_Mason

"My mouth tastes foul, like an ashtray drenched with the sticky remains of a popsicle."

-"Line, Please"

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MelodySchreiber
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I should be working, but these short stories are calling my name!

8 likes1 stack add
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WOCreads
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Pickpick

My first read is excellent! Also, my brother made vegan cheesecake, perfect Sunday 👌💜📚 How are you all doing?

#DiverseAThon #diversebooks #shortstories #AsianAm

Aquedita Hello my #DiverseAThon buddy :) Got a chance to read with a view of the mountains today so I'd say not too shabby. Love vegan cheesecake 8y
read_diverse_books Yay, so glad you liked it! 8y
WOCreads @Aquedita Yay Mountain view, that's amazing!! Wonderful backdrop for reading😊 8y
23 likes3 comments
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read_diverse_books
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Pickpick

Are you looking for a short story collection to finally get into reading short fiction? Deceit And Other Possibilities is great start! The stories are loosely connected & are about deception, displacement, and immigrant experiences - they're all drastically different from one another too! I enjoyed the variety of characters & experiences presented in the stories. Highly recommended!

Full review: http://wp.me/p7a9pe-10m

#diversebooks #Litsygram

SuperPunkNinja Sounds great! 8y
read_diverse_books @McShelfington It really is. 😊👌 8y
45 likes7 stack adds2 comments
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VanessahuaSF
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Deceit and Other Possibilities IRL

6 likes1 stack add
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VanessahuaSF
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Happy pub day -- to me! I spent more than a decade on this book and am so excited it's now out in the world.
#HelloOctober #WeNeedDiverseBooks

LeahBergen Congratulations!! 🎉🎉🎉 8y
VanessahuaSF @LeahBergen thanks so much! 8y
ApoptyGina69 Wonderful! I will pick it up on my next week's book spree. Btw, I was born & raised in SF, but moved in 2012. I visit often, so post any readings, etc. Congratulations! 8y
11 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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VanessahuaSF
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Blown away by this amazing review - Nylon's September book picks

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VanessahuaSF
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Reading from my book, in my book dress at Dog Eared Books in San Francisco #getindie

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stephopitz
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Pickpick

Loved this collection so much by 2015 Rona Jaffe winner Vanessa Hua. Also loved that I happened to match it today!

Michelle_mck Those shoes though!! ❤️👍🏻 8y
62 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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VanessahuaSF
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Bustle's Top 26 Literary Debuts Written by Women in the Last 5 Years: "Exactly what we need to be reading in this country right now; and probably always...IIf I had to choose one word to describe Hua‘s writing style, it would be personable — you actually feel like her narrators are sitting across the sofa from you, popping open the tab of a soda can as they prepare to tell you their story....funny and sad, quick-witted and thought provoking."

MrBook Nice cover! 8y
VanessahuaSF @MrBook thank you! I'm getting temporary tattoos of the bird made up for the launch party! 8y
2 likes1 stack add2 comments