What I’ve appreciated most about Kevin Chong’s work in the past is how Vancouver it is. And even though the city and the Chinatown that his latest novel takes place in is never named, it clearly felt like Vancouver to me. The Chinatown I remember in the 90s and early 2000s felt very present to me as I read The Double Life of Benson Yu.
From the very beginning of the story, we are told that there is a narrator. A first person narrator is describing the actions of young Benny, who lives in Chinatown with his grandmother. His father is absent, his mother has died. His grandmother’s health is failing and Benny’s young aunt is busy trying to make it big with her band. The narrator describes for us Benny’s daily life and routine with his po po and we sense the precariousness of it. Benny is a smart young teenager, something of an outcast at school.
We get to know the narrator too, a comic artist trying to write his first novel. He is a middle-aged husband and father who lives out in the suburbs and drinks too much. He has recently received a letter from a man he knew as a child and though we don’t know exactly why, it has stirred up a lot of emotions and buried feelings.
The narrator creates a fictional version of this man from his past, a character he calls Constantine, and he creates a plot where Constantine and Benny meet. Then, part way through the novel, this narrator’s real life and fictional one collide in an unexpected way.
This is a tricky novel to talk about without giving too much away because part of the fun of it was figuring out what I believed was really happening. Who is telling the truth here? How much is happening in the true world of the novel and how much is the narrator creating? And do we trust his creation?
I’ve read two of Chong’s other books and would say this is definitely his strongest. Playing with plot and characterization in such a unique way, he creates a story that I really cared about. The characters felt real in how much I disliked what they were doing but still cared about their outcomes. This is one of the more unique books I’ve read when it comes to a character dealing with trauma and generational struggles.
Karissa Reads Books 
I’ve never read Kevin Chong but heard wonderful things. I’ve actually never been to Vancouver proper so I may not find it as relatable though haha
I don’t think you have to know Vancouver to enjoy this. It’s more like little Easter eggs to find along the way!
I love books in which fictional and real lives meet up! Think of all the great children’s books and movies that do that. Glad you enjoyed this one.
That’s very true! It’s more unusual in adult fiction.