| Release Date | January 19, 2021 |
| Publisher | Dutton Books for Young Readers |
| Content Warnings | Anti-Asian racism, xenophobia, homophobia, dated language & slurs, depictions of war, deportation, graphic sex, familial rejection |
| Did I receive an ARC? | No |
| Links | Indiebound | Bookshop | Kobo | Libro.fm | Goodreads |
She knew that what she had read in Strange Season was not only scandalous, it was perverse. She should feel dirtied by reading it; she should feel guilty for being thrilled by it.
The problem was, she didn’t. She felt as if she had finally cracked the last part of a code she had been puzzling over for so long that she couldn’t remember when she had started deciphering it.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo, pg. 42
It’s Lily’s last year of high school and she’s not quite sure where she fits in. Her best friend Shirley is doing her best to drag Lily in her wake, encouraging her to join the homecoming dance committee and help run Shirley’s campaign for Miss Chinatown. Lily, however, is more inclined toward math and science—and Kath, a girl in her advanced math class who wants to be a pilot. In this wonderful coming-of-age novel, Lily navigates emerging feelings about gender and sexuality all while dealing with what it means to be a child of Chinese immigrants in the 1950’s.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club is about a romance, but it is not a romance novel; which, since I am not a romance reader, was great for me, but may not be what someone else is looking for. This book was about Lily growing up and growing into her own skin, and figuring out her place in her relationships with her childhood friend, her new friend (maybe something more), and her family.
There were some aspects of this book that felt like they were left as loose threads and never tied up. In the beginning of the book, a fair amount is dedicated to the threat of Communist uprisings—or, more precisely, the threat to Chinese immigrants who are suspected of having Communist ties during McCarthyism. However, this plot point falls by the wayside as Lily finds more important things to occupy herself with. As a reader, this feels a little annoying, because we enjoy it when everything is tied up nicely and nothing is left hanging, but I found it to be reflective of life. Being gay is a huge part of Lily’s life, and it’s one that she has thus far kept locked away in a deep part of herself; in a way, letting early plot points fade away helps highlight Lily’s inner conflicts and priorities.
This book has layers and Malinda Lo has done an excellent job of making Lily’s story feel personal. It is a little predictable but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pull at your heart strings. It’s not often that the written word can make me cry, but it happened here. The feelings on the page are so raw and I was really with Lily all the way through.
If you are a fan of LGBTQ+ stories, this is one to pick up. It is tough to read in some parts, especially if you are queer, but I really loved it and would highly recommend it.
The Library Cryptid 