What a Time to Be Alive

An adrift Chinese American woman unexpectedly becomes an online celebrity in Chang’s lively sophomore effort (after The Wangs vs. The World). The story opens at a Los Angeles cemetery, where Lola Treasure Gold, 31, is reeling during the funeral for her best friend Alex, a skateboarder who died while attempting a stunt. “I felt outside of time,” Lola narrates. Later, Lola and Alex’s other friends play a game in which they take turns delivering mock TED Talks on random subjects. Lola’s “drunken monologue” about scams is recorded and posted online. A couple of weeks later, someone posts a clip of Lola’s speech cut together with a video of Alex’s final moments, and the post goes viral, partly due to Alex’s catchphrase “be your own beacon,” which was meant to spoof self-help language, but is taken as the real thing. Lola gets a major spike in followers, and in need of cash, she reluctantly embraces her new influencer role. She also begins searching for her birth mother, who was deported to China when she was a girl and has been unreachable since then. Chang’s irresistible narrative effortlessly toggles between story lines as Lola explores her origins and deals with her grief and youthful angst. Readers will be glad to encounter Lola’s arresting voice. Agent: Marc Gerald, Europa Content.