Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

TW: homophobia, racism, sexism

It is 1954, and Chinese American, Lily Hu, feels lost. She has a good group of friends and a large community within Chinatown, but deep down she feels confused about her values and what makes her happy. All that she really knows is that she loves space. But it is a scary time in America to be of Chinese descent because of the Red Scare and communist paranoia coming from the government.

In the midst of all of this, Lily discovers she may not love boys the way she is “supposed” to. In fact, she is discovering she may love women in the way she is supposed to love men. But it is not safe to love women in this way; it is actually illegal for groups of homosexuals to gather. But one night she discovers a club of women who feel the same as she does. And suddenly, a whole new world opens up that Lily never accounted for.

I really loved this book. I was very excited to read it, but this went beyond my expectations. It was everything I was looking for and more. The most surprising aspect of this book was how it read. Yes, it is a YA book, but it does not read young. However, I do think both adult, older teen,s and younger teens will be able to gain from this book. The character work is also spectacular. Even the side characters feel fully fleshed and equally important.

This story has s0 many layers to it, and I feel like the author does a great job at exploring each of these layers to a wonderful degree. Especially the conversations about being an Asian American in a time where it was unsafe to be an Asian in America. I loved how the author talked about being gay and discovering your queerness in an unsupportive community. I also loved the talk and representation of drag kings.

Overall, I am just ecstatic about this book, and I cannot stop thinking about Lily and her life. I am just blown away by the writing, the story, and the characters. If you are looking for a queer story with an impact, this is the book for you!