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A review by mxunsmiley
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Jordan Baker was always my favorite character in The Great Gatsby, a novel I have mixed feelings about--at one point I loved it, then read it again--hated it. So I thought a retelling with Jordan as the narrator, Asian and bisexual, would be a lot more interesting, and in many ways it was, though it missed the mark for me in many other ways.
The magical aspect of it, I thought, was underused and a bit out of the blue in most passages.
The added racial twist on Jordan's character also struck me as a bit of an afterthought. It was woven pretty tightly into the novel, but in the end I thought... how does this change anything, especially when we don't get more insight as to A racial insensitivity I noticed, also, was when
The LGBT content, though, really shone for me. At first I thought the homoeroticism between Gatsby and Nick was a bit of a fanfiction-like projection but I think it worked a lot more toward the end of the novel, with hints in between.
Another aspect of the novel which I loved was the prose. Vo writes really, really well and in a gripping way, I think, especially in the last chapters. Her characterization is also spot-on. It has the same vibes as the original novel. Jordan's character feels perfectly in line with Fitzgerald's original, with deeper insight. She was quite fittingly my favorite part of this novel, as should be expected because it's all about her, of course. All the hints and details to the deeper aspects of her character were so enjoyable to read. I also loved the other characters, too, honestly, especially Daisy, how I really knew all along how manipulative she was but Jordan I could talk forever about Jordan Baker! How Vo captures the way Gatsby is truly pathetic yet grandiose all at the same time was so amazingly well done, too.
I did enjoy this novel a lot, despite my qualms with it. I want to read her other work, too, now.
The magical aspect of it, I thought, was underused and a bit out of the blue in most passages.
Spoiler
The introduction of Khai was intriguing but I didn't think it really went anywhere. The most compelling magical scene was when she ripped a mouth out of the eyes of T.J. Eckleberg, creating that literal personification. That was one of my favorite scenes in the novel.The added racial twist on Jordan's character also struck me as a bit of an afterthought. It was woven pretty tightly into the novel, but in the end I thought... how does this change anything, especially when we don't get more insight as to
Spoiler
the way Eliza Baker essentially stole Jordan from her parents? It's a pretty big revelation (though not surprising)! Then thinking about how we don't really see much of Khai and co., who I found the most interesting in this twist retelling of Gatsby, I thought Vo could have done a lot more.Spoiler
Jordan remarked on Gatsby's nonwhite, specifically Native and Black, ancestry while, in the same breath, talked about his sin and sorcery.The LGBT content, though, really shone for me. At first I thought the homoeroticism between Gatsby and Nick was a bit of a fanfiction-like projection but I think it worked a lot more toward the end of the novel, with hints in between.
Spoiler
The implications that Jordan was in love with Daisy were very well written as well.Another aspect of the novel which I loved was the prose. Vo writes really, really well and in a gripping way, I think, especially in the last chapters. Her characterization is also spot-on. It has the same vibes as the original novel. Jordan's character feels perfectly in line with Fitzgerald's original, with deeper insight. She was quite fittingly my favorite part of this novel, as should be expected because it's all about her, of course. All the hints and details to the deeper aspects of her character were so enjoyable to read. I also loved the other characters, too, honestly, especially Daisy, how I really knew all along how manipulative she was but Jordan
Spoiler
was honestly too in love with her to admit or see it. It kind of broke my heart when, toward the end, Jordan had her own heart broken by two people at the same time, because of how vulnerable she truly is, even when she tries to conceal it.I did enjoy this novel a lot, despite my qualms with it. I want to read her other work, too, now.