Deceit and Other Possibilities
In her powerful collection—first published in 2016 and now featuring additional new stories—Vanessa Hua gives voice to immigrant families navigating a new America. Tied to their ancestral and adopted homelands in ways unimaginable in generations past, these memorable characters span both worlds but belong to none, illustrating the conflict between self and society, tradition and change. This all-new edition of Deceit and Other Possibilities marks the emergence of a remarkable writer.
Praise
"Dazzling. . . . Hua writes with tenderness, humor, and empathy, imbuing her stories with lovely turns of phrase. . . . Fans of Hua's acclaimed first novel, River of Stars (2018), will savor these unforgettable stories."
-starred Kirkus Review
Vanessa Hua inhabits in graceful and heartbreaking detail the people of her stories: strivers and betrayers, lovers and the landless, all of them on their way to transcendence in her hands.
– SUSAN STRAIGHT, author of In the Country of Women
Fast-paced, dazzling, smart, and fun, Vanessa Hua's debut collection illustrates the insanities and heartbreaks on both sides of the Pacific.
– GARY SHTEYNGART, author of Lake Success
Deceit and Other Stories gives us characters whose lives are constrained and yet also enriched by different borders, cultures, and traditions. A bracing and beautiful debut, full of fire and light.
–LAILA LALAMI, author of The Other Americans
Complicated, cosmopolitan and utterly contemporary, Deceit and Other Possibilities is a richly enjoyable collection. Hua is expert at creating both empathy and suspense whether it's in the emptiness of a national park or the crowded space of an international flight. These stories will jump right off the page into the reader's imagination.
–MARGOT LIVESEY, author of Mercury
"Searing debut"
–O, The Oprah Magazine
"The men, women and children in Hua’s moving debut often find themselves straddling the volatile fault lines between desire and shame, decorum and rage… She has a deep understanding of the pressure of submerged emotions and polite, face-saving deceptions. The truth comes out, sometimes explosively, sometimes in a quiet act of courage.”
"Vanessa [Hua] is such a great writer, and subversively funny…she’s got this wicked absurd sense of humor. She writes a lot about these characters that don’t look anything like ‘model minorities’… it’s so readable and human.”
“Sharp, insightful, witty, and heartbreaking”
“An intriguing collection...each of her protagonists is never quite grounded, caught between multiple cultures and countries. Each hides beneath layers of deceit, clinging to lies that enable survival....Hua is a writer to watch.”
–Booklist
“Exactly what we need to be reading in this country right now; and probably always. Zeroing in on a myriad of different immigration stories…this collection is funny and sad, quick-witted and thought provoking.”
–Bustle, 26 Best Literary Debuts By Women in the Last 5 years
"These 10 stories follow immigrants to a new America who straddle the uncomfortable line between past and present, allegiances old and new.”
–The Millions “most anticipated list” for the second half of 2016
100 Must-Read Contemporary Short Story Collections, Book Riot
"Shrewd...hilarious."
–Vice
"Rare and generous."
“100 Must-Read Contemporary Short Story Collections”—Book Riot
"This thought-provoking debut collection gives voice to immigrant families navigating a new America. These authentic and moving stories about racially diverse characters depict them trying to straddle two worlds while belonging to neither. Hua’s detached, wry observations make for compelling read and is a contemporary portrayal of life of a migrant."
"Evocative...The brightest, unifying factor for the characters in all Hua's stories are, as the collection's title suggests, a trust in America's possibility—the future, however complicated and non-binary, is within our hands, her characters reassure us. And given current geopolitical currents this is a needed, and welcome, prophecy indeed."
–Cha
"Readers will feel hijacked by the lines that follow in Deceit and Other Possibilities....Hua shows how immigrant families plead, persuade, adapt, and embrace their heritage."
“Hua writes with sophistication and the punch of the immigrant experience today…exuberant stories filled with nuance and fresh detail.”
"Profoundly moving, and impossible to forget...a truly impressive debut."
"The immigration conversation starter that this election needs"
"Gazes through the lens of recent immigrants to examine family relationships in all their beauty and complexity...pointed, memorable tales."
"The stories here are filled with desperate, confused, liminal people making questionable life choices...what lies at the core of the book is the unhappiness that tends to follow secrets and betrayal..It’s a hard lesson learned, and one that most of the characters…eventually take to heart.”
–The Spine, KQED
“The stories Hua presents are remarkably varied — complicating blanket stereotypes about ethnic cultures…Those kinds of subtle contradictions between overlapping identities — and the compromise they require — are what Hua's stories pinpoint and gracefully unravel.”
"Heart-wrenching, implacable....the characters within feel so human and in need of being heard....Hua draws the reader in with her power of perception. "
"Family, loyalty, love, lust: Vanessa Hua does justice to the big themes in this noteworthy debut...she writes her subjects’ stories as they must be told. Their choices, no matter how detrimental, are portrayed with understanding. And their deceptions, however dishonest, feel like the truth."
"In time Vanessa Hua will be a writer to whom up-and-coming storytellers are compared....it feels less like a debut and more like the effort of a seasoned and well-established master."
–Pank
"Diverse, cosmopolitan"
"Wry observations...compelling read"
"A wonderful sense of modernity...Hua is a writer to watch"
"Beautifully written, engaging, modern and insightful...a marvelous read!"
"Discerning...wide-ranging."
"A shattered mirror reflecting to us the broken face of the contemporary world.”
"In these stories Hua presents an impressive range of specific characters, each illumination in unique circumstances...the struggle to affirm identity....we can't entirely control how other people see us, just as we can't entirely control how we see ourselves."
"One of those books I wanted to gulp down...Hua's storytelling feels extremely personal, yet not limited to her own experience."
"Fascinating storytelling...elegant and smart."
"An insightful glimpse into the immigrant experience."
–Bloom, Anticipated Autumn Releases
"Some of these characters may make us want to turn away, but Hua finds a way to humanize all of them."
–Vela
"Vivid, complex..heartbreaking, memorable."
–Confessions of An Imperfect Life
10 Great Reasons to Read Fiction in September 2016, Oakland Public Library
Hua’s thoughtful use of themes, such as scandal, transit and redemption… expand and dramatize the connections between Asian diasporic characters as complex, mobile and at turns hilariously and painfully human.
–JUDGES’ NOTE, San Francisco Foundation, James D. Phelan Award for Fiction
"A wonderful collection...I'm excited to see what she has coming out next."
–The Lit Up Show, Episode 69
Most Anticipated lists, 2020, The Millions, BookRiot, Electric Lit
Order From Your Favorite Independent Bookstore| Bookshop |
WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AWARD FOR LITERATURE
NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR’S CHOICE
FINALIST FOR THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD
FINALIST, NEW AMERICAN VOICES AWARD
El Cerrito, One City/One Book Pick
Peddie School, Sophomore Class Read
Buy from your local independent bookstore, or IndieBound. If you'd like a reading guide or a signed copy, contact me here.
