? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

The Fetishist is a posthumous publication that came to us after Katherine Min passed away and her daughter Kayla Min Andrews brings her mother's work to publication, providing insight into the complex experience of being objectified.

Alma Soon Ja Lee, the protagonist, encounters her first ‘rice king’ as a 13-year-old. The Korean-American cello prodigy marks the beginning of a journey filled with the allure of Asian fetishization and the painful cost of self-erasure. Alma’s relationship with Daniel Karmody, an Irish American violinist and the titular fetishist, unravels over five years, leaving both estranged and at their lowest points two decades later.

The book unfolds Alma’s struggle with multiple sclerosis and Daniel’s washed-up existence. The novel takes an unexpected turn with the introduction of Kyoko Tokugawa, a Japanese-American punk seeking vengeance for her mother’s suicide at Daniel’s hands. Through Kyoko’s fiery quest for justice, Min navigates the tangled roots of racism and desire.

The novel resonates deeply with contemporary issues of Asian-American representation and the physical stereotyping of Asian women, fueled by recent events like the COVID-19-fueled surge in hate crimes and the Atlanta spa shootings.

You can get a copy on Amazon.

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