A review by charmel
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I don't usually rate historical fiction this high. but damn.. this book is the first to be one of ✨ the only exception ✨ 

“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to have nothing keeping you attached to the ground?”

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a lovely coming of age story of Lily Hu, a 17-year-old Chinese-American, set in the 1950s in Chinatown (San Francisco).

Queer Asian Historical Fiction?? Women interested in STEM? YESSS

“Perhaps that was the most perverse part of this: the inside-outness of everything, as if denial would make it go away, when it only made the pain in her chest tighten, when it only made her emotions clearer.”

At first, I was having difficulties adjusting to Malinda Lo's writing style, but as chapters went by and when I was around 40%, I started warming up to it. Malinda Lo managed to capture the emotions of self-discovery, belonging, first love, and life in the early 1950s as a Chinese American.

By the author's note on the last pages, I could tell that the author did thorough research. As a result, the setting was atmospheric. The mouth-watering descriptions of the foods, the details about the 1950s Chinatown, were all beautiful. It felt as if I were transported into Lily's world.

I loved Lily. Her character was complex, and nicely fleshed out. I loved her curiosity and passion and her coming-out-of-age discovery and lesbian awakening. Kath's character was at first a bit bland, it was hard to tell her apart from everyone. Still, she grew on me and I found her quite fascinating in the end. The romance between them wasn't rushed, it was splendidly slowly building up until both of them are ready, and out embracing their true selves.

The side characters as well were realistic. Shirley's and Lily's family's thoughts about her coming out make sense, even though it was painfully annoying. The telegraph club crew was fantastic and they too tell each different personal stories.

“She’s having a hard time right now because you’re not what she expected. But we’re never what our parents expected. They have to learn that lesson.”

Honestly, I just started lnattc because I couldn't fathom how close I am to finishing ove. I didn't expect to very much enjoy and adore this book. This really made me feel the feels, and I loooveeed it.

Overall, LNATTC was such an interesting and heartfelt read. The historical aspect was amazing. The characters were great, I liked reading from the mc's perspective. And the story was a breath of fresh air aaaaa. 4 stars ✨

“There was probably a scientific explanation for it, but the older she got, the more she was inclined to give in to the feeling that these moments were glimpses into a world greater than this physical one. It was as if there were cycles that repeated themselves over and over, but most people never saw the repetition; they were too deeply enmeshed in their own path to see.”