Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s.
LAST NIGHT AT THE TELEGRAPH CLUB
by Malinda Lo
Dutton, January 2021
(via Dystel, Goderich & Bourret)
« That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other. » And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its leaves and demanding to be shown the sun: « Have you ever heard of such a thing? »
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
“Restrained yet luscious.” —Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet
“Finally, the intersectional, lesbian, historical teen novel so many readers have been waiting for.” —Kirkus, starred review
“A must-read love story…alternately heart-wrenching and satisfying.” —Booklist, starred review
“This standout work of historical fiction combines meticulous research with tender romance to create a riveting bildungsroman.” —Horn Book, starred review
“Proof of Malinda Lo’s skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger. » —O: The Oprah Magazine
• Winner of the National Book Award for Young Adult literature
• A New York Times and Indie Bestseller
• 2022 Michael L. Printz Honor
• 2022 Stonewall Award
• 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award
• 2022 We Need Diverse Books Walter Dean Myers Award Honor
• Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Young Adult Literature Category
• Barnes & Noble January 2022 YA Pick of the Month
• Finalist for the NEIBA Book Award
• 2021 Medal Winner of the Alice B Awards
• ALA 2022 Rainbow List
• Best Books of 2021: NPR, Publishers Weekly, BookPage, School Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, New York Public Library, Goodreads, Horn Book, Book Riot, Brightly, YALSA, Kirkus, Booklist, CCBC, San Francisco Chronicle, BCCB, Shondaland, Cosmopolitan
Malinda Lo is the critically acclaimed and bestselling author. Her debut novel Ash, a lesbian retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and was a Kirkus Best Book for Children and Teens. She has been a three-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.
