A Tender Age A Novel

Praise for A Tender Age

"A classic bildungsroman... The pathos of A Tender Age lies in... the malleability of the self, the rawness of experience and seemingly endless capacity to be wounded." The New York Times

What sets A Tender Age apart is its layered narration, in which a reflective adult and resurrected child together lead the reader onward as Lee strings threats of violence through the text, building thrillerlike tension... a tour-de-force. The Atlantic

"It would be tempting to describe A Tender Age as a tender-hearted coming-of-age tale but there s more going on beneath its dappled surfaces A Tender Age expands beyond its frame, evoking the tug of memory, a philosophical novel ultimately less concerned with a pivotal moment in childhood and more with the accretion of regret and the sweep of aging itself. The Boston Globe

"Mr. Lee has wonderfully evoked the unmatched urgency of this period of childhood, when everything, from a footrace to a girl s smile, feels like a matter of life and death. The Wall Street Journal

"Jeon-Gi, buffeted by forces and friendships outside his control, provokes a keen sense of sympathy that s hard to forget." New York Magazine

Nuanced and dramatically rich, presenting a frighteningly accurate depiction of adolescence that offers no easy answers another powerful work about identity formation and the American experience from one of America s best authors. BookPage (STARRED REVIEW)

Lee tracks his young protagonist s brutal education in the perversity of life...with breathtaking nuance and literary artistry...Each detail in each stunning and dramatic scene is vital and clarion highly charged and resonant. Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

Lee s striking latest hits hard. Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

A melancholy, emotionally rich story of preadolescent struggles. Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW)

Praise for Chang-rae Lee

I have no choice but to ask: Who is a greater novelist than Chang-rae Lee? The Los Angeles Times

Nothing is rushed; nothing is overlooked Lee understands that in art and in stories what is perhaps most valuable is not what can be explained but what can be felt. The Boston Globe

The prose Chang-rae Lee writes is elliptical, riddling, poetic...beautifully made. The New Yorker

[Chang-rae Lee] explores the fundamental human desires to be seen and to love. The Washington Post

Lee s writing style, as usual, is alive with wit and satiric social commentary boisterous and fun. NPR, Fresh Air