“They knew it instinctively, their mothers knew it definitively, and eventually, I had no choice but to recognize it as well. I existed in a kind of borderland of acceptable and not, sometimes more on one side, sometimes more on another.”
Did anyone else count down the days until The Great Gatsby became public domain because that meant we were going to be flooded with queer retellings and reimaginings of this story or was that just me?
In Chosen and the Beautiful, Vo reimagines the classic The Great Gatsby and gives voice to one of the most overlooked characters in the famous story about the American Dream: Jordan Baker. Retelling the original story with a queer Asian main character is quite the hefty challenge, yet Vo masters it beautifully.
I’d heard through the grapevine just how fantastic Vo’s writing is and after reading The Chosen and the Beautiful, I can only wholeheartedly agree. Vo’s prose is lush and extraordinary detailed, and so reminiscent of Fitzgerald’s writing but somehow even more atmospheric and lyrical. Honestly, in the beginning of the book, I felt like I was watching a movie of The Great Gatsby but with the perspective shifted, which is of course the goal here, but it was done so seamlessly that I can only applaud Vo.
There’s so much to love about this book: the diversity of reliving such a classic story through the eyes of a Vietnamese woman and the addition of queer characters brings a breath of fresh air. I loved how this characterization gave Vo the opportunity to approach topics breached in the original—the xenophobia, white supremacy, class struggles—with a new set of eyes. On top of that, we get to experience the flapper era from a female perspective, see the social restrictions of the 1920s (especially for the queer characters) and we even get more backstory on characters like Daisy, Nick and Gatsby, which I loved. Gatsby in particular is of course a gigantic mystery in the original, but here, we get to know him in more depth, with witty and blunt descriptions from Baker herself. Baker is an entrancing character, ruthless yet vulnerable, hardened from the years of secrets and exclusion, a woman on the outs and yet in the innermost circle. She is a character capable of drawing you into the story whether you know how it all ends or not, leading you along on a journey of self-exploration and magical (wink, wink) moments.
Reimagining The Great Gatsby from a new, queer perspective with dashes of magic and elements of fantasy, The Chosen and the Beautiful is a compelling expose of the Jazz Age—perfect for both lovers of the original story and those who are in need of a great story with fantastic, lyrical writing.
The Chosen and the Beautiful is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 1st 2021.
Will you be picking up The Chosen and the Beautiful? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Immigrant. Socialite. Magician.
Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society—she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She’s also queer, Asian, adopted, and treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her.
But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how.
