Paper Names

Taut, panoramic and powerful; Paper Names is an unforgettable debut about the long shadows of our parents, the ripple effects of our decisions and the ways in which our love transcends difference.

Outside a New York apartment building, an attempted mugging alters the lives of three people.

Tony, a Chinese-born engineer turned Manhattan doorman, who immigrated to the United States to give his family a better life.

His daughter, Tammy, who grapples with the expectations surrounding a first-generation American as she grows into an ambitious young woman.

And Oliver, a charming white lawyer with a dark family secret, who is continuously propelled towards Tammy and Tony, whether by fate or his choices.

Set in New York and China over three decades, Paper Names explores what it means to be American from three different perspectives. As Tony, Tammy and Oliver each strive for their own American dream, and make sacrifices to attain it, every joyous and heart-breaking twist in their stories begs the question: was it all worth it?

'Spectacular... Explosive and riveting, the story whipstitches in and out of time like a golden needle’ — Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone

‘Unblinking, nimble, and written with the kind of clarity one expects from a seasoned author. The word stunning is not hyperbole here’ — Brian Castleberry, award-winning author of Nine Shiny Objects

‘With a keen eye for detail, a strong sense of pacing, and a deep understanding of human nature, Susie Luo crafts a moving portrait of two families whose fates intertwine’ — Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train