The Chosen and the Beautiful

Bookseller recommendation

“A retelling of The Great Gatsby from the perspective of Jordan Baker, who in this concept is a Vietnamese adoptee raised in Louisville. In this version of the roaring 20s, alongside the usual speakeasies and flapper dresses, there’s a reality of demons, ghosts, mysteries, devilish bargains, and magic. Hell is quite literally another location from which beings can emigrate, and every culture has its own intriguing brand of magic. Jordan’s is paper cutting, and she can do wondrous, horrifying things with it. ...Refreshingly, instead of a fantasy plot that revolves around a character honing their powers, montage-style, to save the day, Vo focuses on Jordan’s personality instead. Jordan has always kept her heart aloof, entangling herself with men and women of the smart set, but this summer with Daisy, Gatsby, and quiet and observant Nick Carraway, will change her. is thoughtfully constructed, w/ Jordan’s expanded backstory informing and deepening the beats of the original. On a sentence level, the cadence and tone make you feel right at home in a 1920s classic, even when characters drink demon blood as an aperitif or discuss the troubling influence demons are beginning to have over US politics. And though you know exactly where the plot is headed, there are plenty of shocks and surprises for careful readers. Vo clearly loves and understands the original novel so well, and has accomplished not so much a retelling but a worthy companion piece, a fierce and powerful flip side to one of the great American novels.”

Annie,
Magers & Quinn Booksellers

Bookseller recommendation

“What would you give up to have it all? Magical and queer as hell, Jordan Baker takes readers through Jazz Age New York as her snark, rage, and feelings for Daisy keep us turning pages until early morning. Like one of Gatsby’s cursed parties, this book was one I wanted to never end.”

Abby Rice,
The Briar Patch