Author Nghi Vo almost got run over in her high school parking lot the same day she received “The Great Gatsby” as a sophomore in high school – eerily, narrowly avoiding the same fate as a main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel.
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“That isn’t a huge feat. I was a pretty clumsy kid and, high school parking lots being what they are,” she says, ruminating on what inspired her to write her own version of the story – “The Chosen and the Beautiful” (Tordotcom, 262 pp.), out Tuesday – now that the original in the public domain.
“The Great Gatsby” tells the ultimately tragic story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan from friend (and Daisy’s cousin) Nick Carraway’s view, perhaps most famous for its eye-popping party scenes and all things 1920s.
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Vo writes the seminal novel from Daisy’s golfer friend Jordan Baker’s point of view – but that’s not the only update the text gets. A fan-fiction connoisseur, Vo writes Jordan as queer and Vietnamese American.
“Spins on identity are sort of par for the course (in fan-fiction),” Vo says. “What happens if you change something and how does it change your understanding of it is always at the heart of a lot of the work I do.”
Did we mention the book also mixes in magical realism? Because (spoiler alert) it does – and it will pique your curiosity about all t side characters Fitzgerald didn’t flesh out.
The takes, they’re coming: The copyright to ‘The Great Gatsby’ is up, and prequel ‘Nick’ is here to take advantage
What readers don’t see in ‘The Great Gatsby’
Like many American students, Vo was presented with the book as the great American novel about identity, ambition and the American dream. She swooned for the sweeping, soaring emotion the book possessed.
“When you’re a teenager, everything is so very big and so very dramatic because you’re feeling it for the first time,” she says. “That was the first time I think I’d seen it really reflected in, ‘good, important literature.’ It wasn’t exactly like those people felt the same things I felt, but they seemed to feel them on the same scale that I did.”
Vo vowed to stay as close to the structure of “The Great Gatsby” as possible, partially out of admiration and partially to break the book apart and fill in Fitzgerald’s gaps.
“In the original, Jordan is absolutely having conversations that we don’t see with Jay Gatsby, she’s having conversations we don’t see with Daisy and most of her relationship with Nick Carraway is offscreen,” Vo says.
Readers regularly revel in the inherent queerness embedded in “The Great Gatsby”; many suspect Nick is gay or bisexual. Giving Jordan the explicitly queer role invites zero room for sapphic speculation. Vo – who is queer herself – aimed to leave readers with the impression that the 1920s were a time of excess and emergence from both World War I and the shadow of the Spanish flu pandemic.
“I think that does something to people, and I think it helps them embrace things that they might otherwise have turned away from, or been afraid of in the past,” she says.
In case you missed (yes): Are new ‘Great Gatsby’ adaptations in our future? The classic’s copyright is set to expire in 2021
The metaphoric magic of ‘The Great Gatsby’ comes to life
“The Great Gatsby” feels magical – fashion, forbidden romance, 1920s New York – but Vo livens up the story with literal magic. Jordan can cut what she wants out of paper and bring it to life, even people. Paper-cutting is a pan-Asian art form associated with women and the interior of the house, as well as good luck and aesthetics, Vo says. Her brain linked this aesthetic idea with 1920s America.
Are any characters in the book actually paper versions of themselves? Pay close attention to “The Great Gatsby” original text for a clue.
Speaking of the original: “The Chosen and the Beautiful” readers will immediately recognize Jordan’s famous lines from “The Great Gatsby”: “I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.” But then we see her commentary: “I said it defiantly, daring Nick to bring us back to our host.”
“It’s both a lovely line, it’s both a throwaway, socialite line,” Vo says. “And it’s also deeply true.”
Daisy’s husband Tom Buchanan is openly racist in another scene – as he was in “The Great Gatsby,” though readers in 2021 react differently than readers a century ago – but having a person of color in the room heightens the tension.
“We know that Tom’s reprehensible,” Vo says. “We know he’s that guy at the party, you know, but I don’t know if it was ever really opened up for us that Tom is genuinely racist.”
Vo posits that Fitzgerald didn’t slip a sentence into the novel without purpose.
“The original novel is so short, everything that’s in there, I think, is making a point,” she says.
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What makes a good rom-com? Start with a little conflict, throw in a few gut-busting laughs, add some moments of melancholy and several swoon-worthy scenarios that will sweep even the most jaded reader off their feet. Add an ending that, while not always the cliched happily-ever-after, is wholly satisfying. But who are we kidding – we’ll take the cliche ending every day of the week.
USA TODAY’s Entertainment staff read some of 2021’s rom-com books and we’re recommending the ones that gave us all the feelings (and earned at least ★★★ out of four reviews).
“Act Your Age, Eve Brown,” by Talia Hibbert. ★★★ (out of four.) Eve Brown’s life is not going as planned. Her career and her relationships are in a constant state of flux. When she gets an ultimatum from her parents to grow up, she begins badly by following up a job interview by running over her potential boss. Said boss, Jacob, is an always-in-control B&B owner who has his own struggles with relationships. Cue an unpredictable, laugh-out-loud love story where opposing personalities don’t translate to incompatible. Think slapstick meets sexy but with a good dose of sensitivity. This is the first novel I have read in the Brown Sisters series by Hibbert, which includes “Get A Life, Chloe Brown” and “Take a Hint, Dani Brown,” but it won’t be the last. – Mary Cadden
“Accidentally Engaged,” by Farah Heron ★★★ (out of four.) Reena Manji is a single Muslim woman in her early 30s who’s not completely happy with where she’s at in life, but has found some solace in bread making. Her family, yet again, tries to push another eligible Muslim bachelor her way to marry and Reena, who’s used to declining the onslaught of Father-approved suitors, ends up maybe liking this new one. Somehow Heron found the perfect balance of preserving the South Asian/East African traditional Muslim family dynamic while still being realistic with Reena’s character: A young Muslim woman living in Toronto who drinks, has sex, has family in the LGBTQ community and is still trying to figure out her life while searching for love. “Accidentally Engaged” is an engaging read with authentic characters who continue to surprise you. – Rasha Ali
“First Comes Like,” by Alisha Rai. ★★★ (out of four.) A perfect blend of modern dating in the digital age and some good old-fashioned courting, “First Comes Like” is the latest in Rai’s modern love series. Instagram beauty influencer Jia Ahmed is cutting edge when it comes to promoting herself on social media but fails to realize she has been catfished until it is far too late. Not until she is standing in front of Bollywood soap star Dev Dixit, her supposed beau, that Jia figures out there is a problem. Dev has no idea who Jia is. After Jai storms off Dev makes an effort to clear up the confusion only to add to it thanks to some well-placed and pesky paparazzi and prying parents. As a result, a whirlwind fauxmance to romance is born. But don’t let the “old-fashioned” descriptor fool you. While clearly chaste at the start, this is a romance that builds to a slow, sweet, and at times steamily, satisfying end. – Mary Cadden
“Meet You in the Middle,” by Devon Daniels. ★★★1/2 (out of four.) Set in Washington, D.C., in the aftermath of the polarizing 2016 election, “Meet You in the Middle” feels more timely than ever following the even-more-divisive 2020 election. Kate Adams and Ben Mackenzie are on opposite sides of the aisle but they figure out (refreshingly quickly) that they have plenty in common. One of the things that makes this book a rapid-fire read is the fact that the characters don’t take painstakingly long to figure out their feelings for one another. Daniels gives depth to both Kate and Ben and though there are a few eye roll-worthy moments (like Kate’s penchant for tears), it’s the kind of book that will leave you feeling gleeful. – Leora Arnowitz
“Siri, Who Am I?,” by Sam Tschida. ★★★1/2 (out of four.) Imagine waking up in a hospital bed with no idea who you are and no friends and family around you. Well, Mia, the protagonist and narrator of Sam Tschida’s “Siri, Who Am I?” finds herself in just that situation. Thankfully, like every good millennial, she’s still attached to her cellphone – and her Instagram account, which leads her on a journey that’s unpredictable, fun and funny for the reader, as she attempts to figure out who she really is in a world of online influence. It turns out that Instagram, shockingly, may not be illustrating the whole truth. Tschida took me on a wild ride in the quick read with endless turns and a happily-ever-after ending fit for a Friday night, feel-good rom-com movie. – Morgan Hines
“Honey Girl,” by Morgan Rogers. ★★★★ (out of four.) A rom-com premise makes way for a thoughtful, expansive take on self-discovery and chosen families in Morgan Rogers’ debut novel. Grace Porter, a 28-year-old with a new Ph.D. in astronomy and an overbearing father who won’t settle for anything less than perfect, finds herself in uncharted territory when a birthday trip to Las Vegas brandishes a souvenir she hadn’t quite expected: a wife. Yuki Yamamoto, a manic pixie dream girl waitress with a radio show and an ethereal take on life, welcomes Grace to finally dream past the confines of her science lab. Though the plot of “Honey Girl” is spurred by romance, it’s the loving embrace from forever friendships that gives its story the most heart. Sprinkled with stardust, Rogers’ prose is poetic, earnest and existential, making for a coming-of-age story that reminds us we figure out who we are and what our place is in the world over and over. As any star-gazer suspects, we aren’t alone in the universe – or in life. – Hannah Yasharoff
“A Pho Love Story,” by Loan Le. ★★★ (out of four.) A modern-day “Romeo and Juliet” story about high school students from rival family pho restaurants. What’s not to like? In her debut novel, author Loan Lee serves up a YA young adult love story devourable even for those who have long since graduated. The Nguyen and Mai families play our Montagues and Capulets, with Bao and Linh as star-crossed lovers forbidden to talk to each other. But when Bao, a quiet, thoughtful burgeoning writer, and Linh, an impassioned artist conflicted about fulfilling her dreams full- time, are brought together to review local restaurants for the school newspaper, they realize they may have been too quick to judge. Sweet, full of depth and worth savoring, “Pho” explores the battle between complicated family histories and indisputable new love. – Hannah Yasharoff
“The Dating Plan,” by Sara Desai. ★★★1/2 (out of four.) Daisy Patel needs a fake fiancé to keep her family from playing matchmaker. Liam Murphy needs a fake fiancée to win his late grandfather’s inheritance. Seems like a perfect match – except that Liam stood Daisy up on prom night, and 10 years later, she still hasn’t forgiven him. Sara Desai returns with another thoughtful, goofy and sexy enemies-to-lovers plot that explores first crushes, second chances and familial love. “The Dating Plan” includes callbacks to Desai’s debut novel “The Marriage Game,” which isn’t a prerequisite but should be on your list regardless. You won’t want to put either down until you’re done. – Hannah Yasharoff
“Twice Shy,” by Sarah Hogle. ★★★ (out of four.) Maybell Parrish is in a losing battle against inertia. She’s stuck in a job and social circle she hates, only finding escape in her vivid daydreams. When her Aunt Violet dies and bequeaths her a house in the Smokies, Maybell seizes the moment and starts a new path. Or so she thinks. Enter Wesley Koehler: A handsome and taciturn groundskeeper who’s also inherited the estate and was (unknowingly) involved in a catfishing scheme against Maybell. Wesley and Maybell – each carrying their own emotional damages – embark on a fixer-upper plan for the estate and end up repairing so much more. Hogle did a marvelous job of turning what could be a heavy and predictable tale into a lighthearted story full of surprises, redemption and love. – Jennifer McClellan
“The Sky Blues,” by Robbie Couch. ★★★1/2 (out of four.) “The Sky Blues” is exactly the kind of teenage romantic comedy that LGBTQ youth – really all youth – need right now. Sky Baker is an out gay high school senior living in Rock Ledge, Michigan, with a major prom-posal plan in the works for his crush Ali. But when that plan falls apart after an unfortunate email blast, Sky’s journey to self-confidence truly begins. Debut author Couch chose a smart first step by not making the novel a coming out story, but one that deals with the repercussions of coming out when not everyone in your life is so accepting. It makes the ones that do accept you that much more important. Readers will fall in love with Sky and his group of friends, made up of diverse, eclectic characters you’ll want to see triumph. Sneaky plot twists will keep you reading late into the night (especially when dealing with a bout of insomnia, like I was). – David Oliver
“Second First Impressions,” by Sally Thorne. ★★★ (out of four.) Was I in the mood for 300-plus pages of cheeky retirement home gossip? You bet I was. “Second First Impressions” attempts love for mousy office manager Ruthie Midona, who at 25 lives (and dresses) more like her opinionated elderly residents than her peers. Enter the heavily tattooed, vagabond Teddy Prescott, the youngest son of the retirement home’s new owner, who roars in on a motorcycle ready to prove his worth to papa by working the grounds. A no-nonsense Ruthie assigns Teddy to work as a personal assistant (read: tormented houseboy) for the complex’s rowdiest octogenarians, the wealthy, rather fabulous Parloni sisters. Despite everyone – including the millennial temp –becoming invested in Ruthie finding a nice boyfriend, the dowdy preacher’s daughter only has eyes for her new bad boy neighbor (did I mention they share a cottage on property?). The premise is cute (it also packs a scandalous twist) but it’s Thorne’s storytelling, which gives her seniors as much life as her twentysomethings, that proves as delightful as an early bird special. – Andrea Mandell
“Dial A for Aunties,” by Jesse Q. Sutanto. ★★★★ (out of four.) Everyone has a story of a bad blind date. But Meddelin “Meddy” Chan takes the cake when she accidentally kills the suitor her meddling mother set her up with the night before the biggest event of her family’s wedding business (“Don’t leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!”). Disposing of the body, however, isn’t a piece of cake after her Chinese Indonesian Ma and three equally nosy aunts mistakenly send the corpse in a cake cooler to the “Crazy Rich Asians”-esque wedding they are working. Talk about a wedding crasher. Sutanto brilliantly infuses comedy and culture into the unpredictable rom-com/murder mystery mashup as Meddy navigates familial duty, possible arrest and a groomzilla. I laughed out loud and you will, too. – Cydney Henderson
13/13 SLIDES
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What if the ‘The Great Gatsby’ was unquestionably queer? This author went there
