Thank you to bibliolifestyle & Harper Perennial for the gifted copy

Al grew up in the small Australian town of Whitlam, populated by Asian refugees and immigrants. Despite her parents escaping the Khmar Genocide, Al and her tight-knit group of friends are determined to chart a new path for themselves as anti-Asian sentiments rise in the late 90s.

EMERALDS is poet Leav's first foray into adult novel, and it shows. I adore the lyrical writing that at times reads like a fever dream. It is no secret that I love poets writing non-poetry because of how "playful" they are with words, and EMERALDS is no different.

I am especially mesmerized by how Leav weaves a compelling tale between various Asian-Australian students, portraying their internal conflicts that surpass the common tropes between white people vs. POC, but rather within the Asian community itself. Leav asks the readers to consider our complicity in assimilation & perpetrating the model minority myth while ensuring our safety in the face of racism.

While this story is labeled as adult, I find the first half to be more YA, with school dramas surrounding friendships & relationships, reminiscent of KING OF THE ARMADILLOS (Wendy Chin-Tanner). At times, the conversations between the teenagers seem too philosophical to be realistic, but it could just be me being an unaware nerd in high school