Last Night at the Telegraph Club - Malinda Lo

Written by Malinda Lo
Read by Emily Woo Zeller
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
Release date: January 19, 2021
Duration: 12:26:14

A gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s.

“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.

Emily Woo Zeller’s melodic narration transports listeners to 1950s San Francisco in this coming-of-age novel about family, first love, and a Chinese-American teenager discovering herself. When Lily sees an ad for a show featuring a male impersonator, she feels a prick of recognition she doesn’t fully understand. Soon she’s sneaking out for heady nights at the Telegraph Club and falling for her friend Kath. Zeller’s narration is pitch-perfect–from the husky voice of male impersonator Tommy Andrews to the shrill disapproval of Lily’s best friend, Shirley. As Lily becomes more comfortable in her own skin, Zeller’s narration becomes bolder and more confident. Full of characters, places, and moments that Zeller beautifully brings to life, this audiobook will break your heart and mend it. L.S. � AudioFile

Lo incorporates Chinese food and language, appending explanatory footnotes for romanized Cantonese and Mandarin terms and characters. Smoothly referencing cultural touchstones and places with historic Chinese American significance, Lo conjures 1950s San Francisco adeptly while transcending historicity through a sincere exploration of identity and love. Back matter includes an author’s note explaining Lo’s personal connection to the story. Ages 14–up.