The Partition

This is Don’s second short story collection, and the thing I’ve always adored about him is his attention to detail.

Reading him, you instantly know he does his research, especially when it comes to his characters’ jobs. The second story here is “Commis,” and it’s about a cook. After I came to the last page, I felt like I could work at a restaurant. This level of specificity is all over The Partition, as it was in his first collection Yellow, published more than two decades ago. 

This is a less hopeful, more mature work than his debut, and… show more.

Lee’s witty stories make smart observations about the nature of identity without ever feeling didactic. His characters are flawed and fully human, they make mistakes, fall in love, face criticism. Many of the stories feature Asian Americans trying to negotiate careers in the arts—from filmmakers to actors to a translator going up for tenure review. The collection feels particularly timely amid the conversations about representation and lack thereof in Hollywood and publishing.