Boring Asian Female

“Canwen Xu’s Boring Asian Female is a compulsively readable debut, propelled by sharp writing and pitch-perfect pacing. Smart, engaging, and thought-provoking, it offers a fresh take on ambition, envy, and the price of success.”—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

“Topical and hilarious, Boring Asian Female features a main character who is both relatable and completely unhinged. I literally gasped as Elizabeth makes a series of increasingly outrageous choices in order to try to get into Harvard Law and the twist at the end made me cackle out loud. A perfect book for our contemporary moment.”—Tasha Coryell, bestselling author of Matchmaking for Psychopaths

“In Boring Asian Female, Canwen Xu masterfully examines ambition and self-delusion as her narrator’s obsession with Harvard Law School, and the student who seems to have taken ‘her’ spot, grows more and more extreme…and dangerous. This sly, propulsive thriller mesmerized me, then moved me with its surprisingly tender final pages. Xu’s cautionary tale will resonate with anyone who has found themselves caught in the trap of expectations, whether cultural or self-imposed. A riveting, heartbreaking debut.”—Cynthia Weiner, author of A Gorgeous Excitement

“A magnificent and deeply entertaining debut, Boring Asian Female is an incisive and thrilling story that so many will relate to. Canwen Xu pulls no punches in writing a hilariously unhinged protagonist where actions spiral beyond control and stereotypes are subverted in the most refreshing and unapologetic way. A must read!”—Liann Zhang, author of Julie Chan is Dead

“A perfectly calibrated combination of obsession, jealousy, and ambition, Boring Asian Female is a captivating debut. The narrator, Elizabeth Zhang, is ruthless, reckless, and yet somehow impossible not to root for—a truly unforgettable protagonist. Chilling and delightful to the very last page.”—Emma White, author of Venom Lake

“Canwen Xu’s sharp-edged debut will have you on the edge of your seat, wondering just how far the protagonist will go. Unputdownable, addictive, and relentlessly clever, it is surely, as the protagonist Elizabeth would say, in the 99th percentile for riveting novels. Xu is a writer to watch.”—Isabel Banta, author of Honey

“Xu’s zippy novel goes deeper than LSAT scores…What begins as gentle Instagram sleuthing becomes something darker over the course of this tale, which raises important questions while it entertains.”—The New York Times

“If campus thrillers make your heart beat a little faster, this one is about to become your new obsession. Xu delivers a razor-sharp story about a young woman who becomes fixated on her academic rival and spirals into a dark, satirical look at meritocracy and the pressure cooker of elite academia. Perfect for fans of Yellowface and The Other Black Girl, it is subversive, tense, and exactly the kind of book you’ll want to discuss with every friend who went to a competitive school.”—Parade

“Ambition loosens a second-generation Chinese American’s grip on reality in Xu’s gleefully unhinged debut…Xu’s twisted tale nimbly toes the line between noir and satire, with Elizabeth’s neurotic narration growing increasingly claustrophobic as her desperation mounts and her delusions multiply. This darkly funny descent into madness is certain to make a splash.”—Publishers Weekly

“Xu’s debut is a thoughtful exploration of a woman consumed with measuring everything by metrics and by an obsession with having the perfect life. Employing a deliberately measured sense of pacing, Xu slowly and effectively builds tension in the novel until everything finally implodes for her protagonist. A great genre crossover for fiction readers looking for a soupçon of suspense or anyone fascinated with the themes of jealousy and envy, as explored in Jesse Q. Sutanto’s I Am Not Done with You Yet.“—Library Journal

“[Boring Asian Female] is biting and uneasy, with flashes of humor that catch you off guard. You laugh, then immediately question why.”—The Seattle Times

“[A] sharp, unnerving novel…The novel moves quickly, but not in the empty-calorie way many contemporary thrillers do. Xu has an excellent instinct for discomfort… The novel remains provocative because Xu refuses easy moral reassurance.”—Arkansas Gazette

“For those who love an unraveling woman protagonist (me included, obviously), then get ready for this addictive debut novel.”—Electric Lit