Counterfeit: A Novel

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK 
“A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here." — Camille Perri, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 
Recommended by New York Times Book Review• Washington Post •People• Entertainment Weekly• USA Today• Time•Cosmopolitan•Today show • Harper’s Bazaar• Vogue•Good Housekeeping•Parade•New York Post • Town & Country• GMA.com • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Oprah Daily • Popsugar • Bustle • theSkimm • The Millions • and more! 
For fans of Hustlers and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise—an incisive and glittering blend of fashion, crime, and friendship from the author of Bury What We Cannot Take and Soy Sauce for Beginners. 
Money can’t buy happiness… but it can buy a decent fake. 
Ava Wong has always played it safe. As a strait-laced, rule-abiding Chinese American lawyer with a successful surgeon as a husband, a young son, and a beautiful home—she’s built the perfect life. But beneath this façade, Ava’s world is crumbling: her marriage is falling apart, her expensive law degree hasn’t been used in years, and her toddler’s tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. 
Enter Winnie Fang, Ava’s enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China, who abruptly dropped out under mysterious circumstances. Now, twenty years later, Winnie is looking to reconnect with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava once knew has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange. The secret to her success? Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to help manage her business—someone who’d never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava. But when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes once again, Ava is left to face the consequences. 
Swift, surprising, and sharply comic, Counterfeit is a stylish and feminist caper with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life. 
"If you appreciate a good caper, you’ll want to pick up Kirstin Chen’s novel . . . Fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." — TIME 
“Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one).” — VOGUE

Literature & Fiction

Chen, Kirstin

United States

William Morrow

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read--but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and subversive here." -- Camille Perri, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Recommended by New York Times Book Review * Washington Post * People * Entertainment Weekly * USA Today * Time * Cosmopolitan * Today show * Harper's Bazaar * Vogue * Good Housekeeping * Parade * New York Post * Town & Country * GMA.com * Buzzfeed * Goodreads * Oprah Daily * Popsugar * Bustle *&nbsp; theSkimm * The Millions * and more! For fans of&nbsp;Hustlers&nbsp;and&nbsp;How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, the&nbsp;story&nbsp;of&nbsp;two&nbsp;Asian American women&nbsp;who band together to&nbsp;grow&nbsp;a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise--an incisive and&nbsp;glittering&nbsp;blend of&nbsp;fashion, crime,&nbsp;and&nbsp;friendship&nbsp;from the author of&nbsp;Bury What We Cannot Take&nbsp;and&nbsp;Soy Sauce for Beginners. Money can't buy happiness... but it can buy a decent fake. Ava Wong&nbsp;has always played it safe.&nbsp;As a strait-laced,&nbsp;rule-abiding&nbsp;Chinese American lawyer with a&nbsp;successful&nbsp;surgeon&nbsp;as a&nbsp;husband,&nbsp;a&nbsp;young son,&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;beautiful home--she's built the&nbsp;perfect&nbsp;life. But&nbsp;beneath this&nbsp;façade,&nbsp;Ava's world is&nbsp;crumbling: her marriage is&nbsp;falling apart,&nbsp;her&nbsp;expensive&nbsp;law&nbsp;degree&nbsp;hasn't been used&nbsp;in&nbsp;years, and&nbsp;her&nbsp;toddler's tantrums are pushing her to the breaking point. Enter Winnie Fang, Ava's enigmatic college roommate from Mainland China,&nbsp;who&nbsp;abruptly&nbsp;dropped out under mysterious circumstances.&nbsp;Now, twenty years later,&nbsp;Winnie is&nbsp;looking to reconnect&nbsp;with her old friend. But the shy, awkward girl Ava&nbsp;once knew&nbsp;has been replaced with a confident woman of the world, dripping in luxury goods, including a coveted Birkin in classic orange.&nbsp;The secret to her success?&nbsp;Winnie has developed an ingenious counterfeit scheme&nbsp;that involves importing near-exact replicas of luxury&nbsp;handbags and now she needs someone with a U.S. passport to&nbsp;help manage&nbsp;her business--someone who'd never be suspected of wrongdoing, someone like Ava.&nbsp;But&nbsp;when their spectacular success is threatened and Winnie vanishes&nbsp;once again,&nbsp;Ava&nbsp;is left to face the consequences. Swift, surprising,&nbsp;and&nbsp;sharply&nbsp;comic,&nbsp;Counterfeit&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;stylish and feminist caper&nbsp;with a strong point of view and an axe to grind. Peering behind the curtain of the upscale designer storefronts and the Chinese factories where luxury goods are produced, Kirstin Chen interrogates the myth of the model minority through two unforgettable women determined to demand more from life. "If you appreciate a good caper, you'll want to pick up Kirstin Chen's novel . . . Fast-paced and fun, with smart commentary on the cultural differences between Asia and America." -- TIME "Propulsive and captivating . . . A provocative story of fashion, friendship, and fakes (in more ways than one)." -- VOGUE

Counterfeit: A Reese's Book Club Pick

William Morrow Paperbacks

Harper Large Print

Gretchen Lin, adrift at the age of thirty, leaves her floundering marriage in San Francisco to move back to her childhood home in Singapore and immediately finds herself face-to-face with the twin headaches she’s avoided her entire adult life: her mother’s drinking problem and the machinations of her father’s artisanal soy sauce business. Surrounded by family, Gretchen struggles with the tension between personal ambition and filial duty, but still finds time to explore a new romance with the son of a client, an attractive man of few words. When an old American friend comes to town, the two of them are pulled into the controversy surrounding Gretchen’s cousin, the only male grandchild and the heir apparent to Lin’s Soy Sauce. In the midst of increasing pressure from her father to remain permanently in Singapore—and pressure from her mother to do just the opposite—Gretchen must decide whether she will return to her marriage and her graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, or sacrifice everything and join her family’s crusade to spread artisanal soy sauce to the world. Soy Sauce for Beginners reveals the triumphs and sacrifices that shape one woman’s search for a place to call home, and the unexpected art and tradition behind the brewing of a much-used but unsung condiment. The result is a foodie love story that will give readers a hearty appreciation for family loyalty and fresh starts.

Soy Sauce for Beginners

New Harvest

Gretchen Lin, adrift at the age of thirty, leaves her floundering marriage in San Francisco to move back to her childhood home in Singapore and immediately finds herself face-to-face with the twin headaches she’s avoided her entire adult life: her mother’s drinking problem and the machinations of her father’s artisanal soy sauce business. 
Surrounded by family, Gretchen struggles with the tension between personal ambition and filial duty, but still finds time to explore a new romance with the son of a client, an attractive man of few words. When an old American friend comes to town, the two of them are pulled into the controversy surrounding Gretchen’s cousin, the only male grandchild and the heir apparent to Lin’s Soy Sauce. In the midst of increasing pressure from her father to remain permanently in Singapore—and pressure from her mother to do just the opposite—Gretchen must decide whether she will return to her marriage and her graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory, or sacrifice everything and join her family’s crusade to spread artisanal soy sauce to the world. 
Soy Sauce for Beginners reveals the triumphs and sacrifices that shape one woman’s search for a place to call home, and the unexpected art and tradition behind the brewing of a much-used but unsung condiment. The result is a foodie love story that will give readers a hearty appreciation for family loyalty and fresh starts.

Soy Sauce for Beginners: A Novel

Little A

Bury What We Cannot Take: A novel

“Complex and rich, Chen’s story serves as a fascinating window into a unique period of history and the plight of one displaced family.” —Harper’s Bazaar
The day nine-year-old San San and her twelve-year-old brother, Ah Liam, discover their grandmother taking a hammer to a framed portrait of Chairman Mao is the day that forever changes their lives. To prove his loyalty to the Party, Ah Liam reports his grandmother to the authorities. But his belief in doing the right thing sets in motion a terrible chain of events.
Now they must flee their home on Drum Wave Islet, which sits just a few hundred meters across the channel from mainland China. But when their mother goes to procure visas for safe passage to Hong Kong, the government will only issue them on the condition that she leave behind one of her children as proof of the family’s intention to return.
Against the backdrop of early Maoist China, this captivating and emotional tale follows a brother, a sister, a father, and a mother as they grapple with their agonizing decision, its far-reaching consequences, and their hope for redemption.

Bury What We Cannot Take

“Complex and rich, Chen’s story serves as a fascinating window into a unique period of history and the plight of one displaced family.” —Harper’s BazaarThe day nine-year-old San San and her twelve-year-old brother, Ah Liam, discover their grandmother taking a hammer to a framed portrait of Chairman Mao is the day that forever changes their lives. To prove his loyalty to the Party, Ah Liam reports his grandmother to the authorities. But his belief in doing the right thing sets in motion a terrible chain of events.Now they must flee their home on Drum Wave Islet, which sits just a few hundred meters across the channel from mainland China. But when their mother goes to procure visas for safe passage to Hong Kong, the government will only issue them on the condition that she leave behind one of her children as proof of the family’s intention to return.Against the backdrop of early Maoist China, this captivating and emotional tale follows a brother, a sister, a father, and a mother as they grapple with their agonizing decision, its far-reaching consequences, and their hope for redemption.

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See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Chen, Kirstin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Chen, Kirstin

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Chen, Kirstin. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Counterfeit: A Novel

Counterfeit: A Reese's Book Club Pick

Counterfeit: A Novel

Counterfeit: A Reese's Book Club Pick

Soy Sauce for Beginners

Soy Sauce for Beginners: A Novel

Bury What We Cannot Take: A novel

Bury What We Cannot Take: A novel

Bury What We Cannot Take: A novel