Real Americans; A novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • READ WITH JENNA’S MAY BOOK CLUB PICK

From award-winning author Rachel Khong (Goodbye, Vitamin) comes Real Americans, an exhilarating multi-generational novel exploring identity, destiny, and belonging. Spanning decades and continents, it delves into the forces—family, class, history—that shape who we are and who we might become.

Praise for Real Americans

"Mesmerizing." —Brit Bennett
"A page-turner." —Ha Jin
"Gorgeous, heartfelt, soaring, philosophical, and deft." —Andrew Sean Greer
"Traverses time with verve and feeling." —Raven Leilani

Synopsis

On the brink of Y2K, 22-year-old Lily Chen is navigating life in New York City as an unpaid intern when she meets Matthew, the charming heir to a powerful pharmaceutical empire. Raised by immigrant scientists who fled Mao’s China, Lily comes from a world far removed from Matthew’s privilege. Despite their differences, they fall in love.

Fast forward to 2021: Lily’s 15-year-old son, Nick, has never quite felt at home on the quiet Washington island where he lives with his single mother. He senses she’s keeping secrets—and when he sets out to find his biological father, the answers he uncovers may change everything.

With luminous prose, Real Americans is a sweeping exploration of class, ambition, race, and inheritance. It’s a deeply moving story about trust, forgiveness, and the search for home—one that asks: Are we shaped by fate, or do we have the power to redefine ourselves?