Kevin ChongCritiques

TW: Suicide ideation and implied child sexual abuse
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers Simon & Schuster, Atria Books, and the author Kevin Chong for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb compares Charles Yu's Interior Chinatown, and the comparison is apt as Yu and Chong are writing similar themes of Chinese-American representation, Asian masculinity, Chinatown, boyhood/childhood, and fatherhood. Chong's novel is also similar to the upcoming book Flux as well, and while Flux uses the time-traveling framework to frame these themes, Yu and Chong use a meta-narrative aspect. Chong's writing echoes past works such as Frank Chin's The Chickencoop Chinaman, The Year of the Dragon, and Maxine Hong Kingston's China Men. Chong's meta-narrative is especially effective in rewriting and confronting childhood trauma, and how recreating sites of trauma into art can be empowering. The use of Japanese martial arts karate and Samurais serves as a representation of Asian masculinity and for approximation to Western masculinity. Benson embraces karate and Samurai as a form of assimilation politics as well. he actively avoids kung-fu and desires not to be like his Dad but becomes a terrible parent by being an alcoholic. By the end, Benson rewrites Benny's politics and gives him closure with Constantine, a closure that he'll never get from his abuser in real life, Benny remains firmly positioned in Chinatown and closer to his Chinese heritage through his Aunt, Steph. Overall, Chong's work is a great addition to Asian diaspora literature.

Benson Yu is a cartoonist. His best-selling comic book was Iggy Samurai. At times he is in his adult mode sharing his past and showing us his present. Then he goes into his comic book mode of his alter ego child, also named Benson Yu, and the samurai that protected Benson the child. Finally, Benson the adult and Benson the child meet. How do they come together? Who will prevail?

I am ambivalent about this story. The concept is interesting. It was jarring to come from the pages of the comic book into Benson's current adult life. Part II was even more jarring as the child and the adult live together for a while. Also the child is not of this time. Lots of odd things happen in Part II that left me confused. I had more questions than answers. I am not sure what really happened at the end in the dojo scene. I was glad that Benson the child seemed more settled after that and had communication with the samurai.

This is not a typical novel for me. I read it because I won it on a Goodreads Giveawy about a year ago. This is my fair and honest review.

Metafiction is not a preferred genre of mine. Things went relatively smoothly until I got to the final third of the novel, which was completely beyond me. I have zero interest in and hence know next to nothing about martial arts and Samurai weapons. (That knowledge is, I think, central to comprehending/visualizing the action in this section—as is mental agility and a tolerance for metafictional time-travel cleverness, which I evidently lack.) Reading this turned into a bore and a chore. My mind doesn’t work the way Chong’s does, and the narrative tricks that excite him have no hold on me. I came close, very close, to bailing on this book—so great was the mismatch between author and reader. A resounding NO from me. But this will be the cat’s meow for some.

Completed only because it was on the Giller shortlist.

Very engaging story: chapters shift point of view between teenage Benny, middle age Yu, and samurai-wannabe Constantine; time-travel is involved. How autobiographical is this? It's easy to presume that the depression and childhood dysfunction that Yu is working through is actually that of the Chong. I recommend this book.
After finishing the book, I realized that I really had only 1 point of identification with the story, and so was able to move on without being emotionally bound up in the tale. (That 1 point? not trusting people with blue eyes.)½

The Double Life of Benson Yu weaves a delicate dance between past and present, fact and fiction, or perhaps factition. Benson Yu is a successful graphic author whose stories tell about the adventure of Benny and his Samurai teacher. It becomes clear that the story of Benny, a twelve-year-old boy living with his grandmother in Chinatown is Benson’s story with a bit of polishing over the traumatic bits.

When his grandmother suddenly dies, his somewhat feckless aunt it on the road and unable to provide care. He tries to carry on but the landlord wants the rent and he’s getting very hungry. He asks for help from his neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he is a samurai and who takes him in and teaches him the way of the Samurai.

While Benny’s life with Constantine is adventure-filled, Benson’s life was more traumatic and full of criminal activities that verge on slapstick. Until they didn’t. When he gets a letter from the real Constantine, it’s as though the past and present have merged and the fictional walk among the factual, or is it the other way around.

I loved The Double Life of Benson Yu. Benny is a smart, plucky little guy and I was rooting for him. Benson Yu is also a good guy even though he, maybe has some doubts. He’s struggling at the moment which is why the past and present become so fluid but I have faith in him.

I loved the characters and though Constantine was not a good person, he was there when no one else was. Benson makes the fictional Constantine, the Samurai, into a hero which suggests that somewhere among the trauma of his double life, he remembers the good as well as the bad.

I received an e-galley of The Double Life of Benson Yu from the publisher through Edelweiss.

The Double Life of Benson Yu at Simon & Schuster
Kevin Chong author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2023/08/27/the-double-life-of-benson...

The Short of It:

Clever and imaginative.

The Rest of It:

In a Chinatown housing project lives twelve-year-old Benny, his ailing grandmother, and his strange neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he’s a reincarnated medieval samurai. When his grandmother is hospitalized, Benny manages to survive on his own until a social worker comes snooping. With no other family, he is reluctantly taken in by Constantine and soon, an unlikely bond forms between the two.

This is a sweet story and bends genres in the most appealing way. It touches on aging, coming of age, boyhood, male friendships, social welfare issues, and jumps back and forth in time. Benny is a very likable character. As a reader you can’t help but root for him as his world slowly falls apart. But for the most part, he has good people surrounding him. As he uses his art to deal with loss, it is slowly revealed to the reader that Yu, the narrator of the story, is having some trouble continuing Benny’s story. We are left wondering what is real, and what is make-believe.

Can Yu finish Benny’s story without placing him in peril?

I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it, especially if you are in need of something different.

For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong is a highly recommended work of metafiction regarding the Benson Yu's upbringing in 1980s Chinatown.

After his mother dies, twelve-year-old Benny lives with his ailing grandmother in Chinatown. When his grandmother is hospitalized and his aunt is on tour with a band, Benny asks his neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he’s a reincarnated medieval samurai, if he can stay with him after a social worker stops by. The two form a bond and then Benny is taken out of his apartment and eventually goes to stay with his father, Benson, in the future.

Once Benny is in the future, with his father, who is really himself, the novel takes an odd turn and space and time are ignored in order for the narrator to grapple with the abuse he suffered at the hands of his sensei. Benson is famous for creating Iggy Samurai, a comic book which is semi- autobiographical and C., the instructor who abused him is demanding money.

I actually like Benny's voice in the 1980s. Once the novel jumped and the metafiction part of the writing took over, I enjoyed it less, although I liked the character of Benny. Although I wasn't totally engaged with the plot device of jumping forward in time and then Benson's narration, I still liked the character of Benny. Basically, I was there for Benny but no so much for the whole metafiction and therapeutic portion of the plot. I'm not a reader of comic books, but I did appreciate that detail of the story.

Benny was an interesting, resilient character who invited readers to support him and wish the best for his future. I liked the ending. I liked the beginning, and the middle part of the novel was a bit frustrating although it did eventually result in an ending that was satisfying for me. This is a coming-of-age story that follows an unusual trajectory to the conclusion. It is an interesting idea for a plot, but isn't entirely successful, however, where it succeeds, it excels.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria via Edelweiss.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/04/the-double-life-of-benson-yu.html

I want to open by saying that I can tell you very little about this book without spoiling one or more of the surprises it contains. So my brief review is this: "The Double Life of Benson Yu is utterly original and engaging in terms of plot and character. The narrative offers major shifts that are brilliant and unexpected. It crosses time and cultures. Read it!"

Seriously. I don't want to say more, but I do want to recommend this title in the strongest terms possible. Check it out.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher; the opinions are my own.

This seemed an appropriate novel to read during COVID-19 and some of the events of the novel really hit home. However, on the whole it was rather slow moving and the characters are so many I didn't really care about any of them. Chong is clearly a good writer but not someone who tries to appeal to the masses.

The Plague by Kevin Chong is a recommended modern adaptation of Albert Camus's original 1947 classic novel.

The Plague is written as a historical account looking back to the year 201- when the plague occurred. The setting is moved from the original French village or Oran to present day Vancouver where the unnamed, omniscient narrator tells the story and follows three characters. After the rats and subsequent other wild animals who live in modern cities started dying in alarming numbers, then people began to experience flu-like symptoms and swelling in their lymph nodes. The sick are clearly infected with Yersinia pestis, or the plague, and the city is immediately placed under quarantine.

Dr. Bernard Rieux is trap in the city while his wife is off receiving alternate treatment for her cancer. He is trying to find a way to redress the treatment-resistant disease, while he is alternately seeking to find meaning in suffering. Megan Tso is an American writer who is trapped in the city while on a book tour. She is trying to hide from an ex while assisting Dr. Rieux. Raymond Siddhu, who is married and the father of twins, is a reporter who is trapped in the city due to the quarantine.

Chong explores the same themes as the original novel, including the nature of destiny and the human condition, the frailties of human behavior, the psychological strain of being under quarantine, and the bravery required in the face of futility. He also places the novel in the present day by addressing many current political and cultural anxieties. His characters are well-developed and compelling. Chong does an incredible job developing his characters and making them real individuals facing a stressful crisis.

The plot however, when it should be full of nerve-racking tension and anxiety because, duh, it's the plague in a major city, is actually too slow moving and, well, a bit dull. As a character study and used as a comparison to Camus's novel, it is worthwhile to read; as a novel though about the plague hitting Vancouver, the pace of the actual story is rather weary.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Arsenal Pulp Press.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2018/04/the-plague.html

2001 edition

Not sure what I should say about this book. First and foremost, I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. It's off-beat and the characters really aren't likable. However, there was something about the book that kept me reading. The main character, Saul, is the child of the St. Pierres, a Canadian folk duo who were famous during the 60's-70's, but fell into relative obscurity after Helena, Saul's mother, walked off the stage one night and never came back. When the duo's most famous song, Bushmill's Threnody, resurfaces as a sample on a German rap group's popular song, the St. Pierres are once again thrust into the spotlight--a twist of fate that the fragile Helena, now living in Thailand and working at a mission, can't handle and it's not long before Saul learns of her suicide. Saul is a shiftless, smart aleck teenager who has difficulty coming to terms with who his mother was and who his father really is. The book has some funny moments, but it's not as humorous as I expected it to be. Also irritating is Saul's first person point of view that lapses into long-winded descriptions of people and everything else around him. It just seems inconsistent with his character, as it's presented in the opening chapters.