“A clutch of stories that starkly question assumptions about our identities . . . Chou’s debut collection—following the novel Disorientation (2022)—is built on premises where characters’ sense of self is rattled . . . Chou is gifted at storytelling with a surrealistic bent . . . The collection’s title is a classic microaggression—a way to box people as foreign or other. Nobody in the book actually utters the question, but throughout Chou cleverly exposes just how difficult humanity is to simplify, whatever our provenance. Sharp storytelling that bends and blurs genre expectations.”—Kirkus (starred review)

“The six stories and novella in this scintillating collection from Chou (Disorientation) explore themes of beauty, identity, and morality . . . Throughout, Chou’s surrealism feels all too real, whether in the concluding novella, ‘Casualties of Art,’ an intimate exploration of an illicit affair, or in ‘Happy Endings,’ the story of a DNA researcher in Hong Kong who visits a virtual reality sex-bot brothel where intercourse is a ‘constant negotiation, a high-wire act with the thinnest of lines separating pleasure from violence.’ These expressive and atmospheric tales mesmerize.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Following Chou’s successful debut novel, Disorientation, comes a collection of six stories and a novella, all featuring intriguing Asian and Asian American characters . . . Chou’s writing maintains its humor while touching on serious, even taboo topics, such as interracial adoption, ethnocentrism, sex work, and fidelity . . . Chou establishes herself as a writer to watch with another thought-provoking offering. For readers who can appreciate Chou’s no-holds-barred approach to storytelling, this collection is an excellent book-club candidate.”—Library Journal