Imprint: Bedford Square Publishers

Boring Asian Female

Canwen Xu

Buy

‘Xu is a writer to watch’ Isabel Banta, author of Honey

‘Smart, engaging, and thought-provoking’ Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of The Leftover Woman

Elizabeth Zhang knows her place in the world. She knows she’s in the tenth percentile for likability, the seventieth percentile for attractiveness, and the ninety-ninth percentile for academics.

With a hard-working ethic instilled in her by immigrant parents, armed with impeccable grades, Elizabeth thinks she is set for Harvard Law School. Until she is rejected for being too ordinary, which she translates to mean she’s just another boring Asian female. But when her classmate Laura Kim gets in, everything falls apart. Why was Laura accepted? What makes her so interesting?

At first, she follows her because she’s just curious. What Laura eats for lunch. Where Laura shops. The answer for Elizabeth’s failure must lie somewhere in Laura’s life. But still, Elizabeth just can’t see it. The only thing she sees is that Laura has taken her spot at Harvard.

A spot she knows she deserves. A spot that she’ll simply have to take back.

Layered, subversive, and satirical, this novel brings to light how, in the face of societal expectations and self-inflicted pressures, a person can unlock the darkest parts of themselves and show how far they’re willing to go to achieve their vision of success.

Category:

Reviews

‘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

‘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

Canwen Xu

Author Profile Page