Gr 10 Up—Eighteen-year-old Ray Liu, a Chinese immigrant, leads a privileged life. He lives in a large suburban home, wears trendy clothing, and is equipped with the latest technologies. However, none of these things mitigate Ray's difficulties with fitting in at his Canadian high school; pleasing his strict army veteran father; and accepting his sexuality. Ray's struggle with speaking English makes it especially hard for him to adjust to life in a new country. As a means of escape, he immerses himself in a computer role-playing game, Rebel State; even though other aspects of his life appear to be in flux, the game makes Ray feel in control. But the feeling soon evaporates when his father accesses Ray's computer and discovers that he has been surfing gay websites. The repercussions are swift, and the teen is disowned. He heads to downtown Toronto and promptly receives an education in the harsh realities of street life. He is robbed, beaten, and taken in by Han, an older man with ulterior motives. Yee's sophisticated juxtaposition of immigrant narratives with questions of sexual identity is compelling and poignant. Unfortunately, stilted dialogue and an all-too-neat ending defying credibility detract from the authenticity of this story.—Lalitha Nataraj, Escondido Public Library, CA
Since Ray's family emigrated from China to Canada, the teen hasn't been able to live up to his father's expectations. After Dad finds out Ray is gay, he gets kicked out of the house. In his brief time on the streets, he's beaten, robbed, and introduced to prostitution. Ray is a strong and sympathetic protagonist making his way through problem-novel territory.
Be the first reader to comment.
Comment Policy:
Comment should not be empty !!!