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Warning : Spoilers for Lunar New Year Love Story
Summary
Lunar New Year Love Storyis a funny and poignant vivid novel from First Second Books that follows Valentina , a untried Vietnamese - American woman , as she navigate culture , family arcanum , and love . Beautiful art and coloration by Leuyen Pham ( Bear Came Along , The Princess in Black ) complement writer Gene Luen Yang ’s ( American Born Chinese , Avatar : The Last Airbendercomics ) multi - layered tarradiddle of faith , auntie , and identity .
The story follow Valentina over one year , during which she tries to prove to herself ( and to the creepy spirit of St. Valentine she feels watch over her ) that love is real . Her parentsnamed her after Valentine ’s Day , and she celebrate the holiday every yr with aplomb , making individualized valentines for her classmates . She also makes a valentine for her papa from her " mom , " who choke when she was a baby .
Everything come apart in high school when Valentina witness out that not only is her mother still alive , she abandon the family and is nowgetting marry to someone else .
American Born Chinese author Gene Luen Yang & EP Melvin Mar talk over adding more gods to the Disney+ serial publication and paying court to Journey to the West .
Lunar New Year Love StoryIs So Much More Than Romance
Lunar New Year Love Storyisn’t just about romance . As a tyke , Valentina feel sure-footed in her identity operator ; she ’s cite after Valentine ’s Day , and loves the vacation like other minor love Christmas . She makes personalized card for her classmate and has a Cupid as her fanciful booster . When she hit high school , this worldview is shatter . Her new classmates believe her valentine are feeble , her grandmother reappears to drop the accuracy about her founder and mother ’s " love tale " , and Cupid morphs into a gaunt , frightening picture of St. Valentine , demanding that she give him her warmness and forget about making love .
Even if Valentina does n’t know her culture ’s tradition , every one of her ancestor is root for her to ascertain felicity that ’s perfect for her .
On top of this , her cultural identity element shifts around her , changed by the expectations of others . She ’s Vietnamese - American , but her father did n’t raise her with Vietnamese influence . She does n’t speak the words , and her diet is more Chef Boyardee than bánh mih . Her grandmother is disappointed in her want of knowledge of cultural customs , and when her young man ’s father tries to habituate her ethnicity to aid shut a deal with a Vietnamese restaurateur , Valentina just ends up being diss by them . Yang ’s writing makes it open that Valentina has n’t let anyone down , andthese strangers have their own agendas .
ReadLunar New Year Love Storyto Kick Off the Year of the Dragon
Leuyen Pham ’s beautiful art also makes it clear that even if Valentina is n’t deep educated in her hereditary finish , her civilization is still there to bear her . Whenever she feel felicitous , whether in romanticism or traditional king of beasts dancing , purl spiral appear around Valentina , as if she ’s being lifted to the cloud , floating in joy . These spirals also come out on the chapter markers : representative of the animals of the Taiwanese zodiac , representing the passage of meter . Even if Valentina does n’t know her culture ’s impost , every one of her root is root for herto find oneself happiness that ’s perfect for her .
There ’s nothing wrong withenjoying a YA passion story , butLunar New Year Love Storypacks so much more into its pages . Valentina ’s two main beaus , Les and Jae , each have their own issues surrounding sexual love and identity , and are flesh - out character beyond being beloved interests . There ’s even sympathy to be had for Valentina ’s pop , who heighten her with a lie paint over in beloved , thinking he knew how to protect her from pain . Lunar New Year Love Storyis a beautiful comic that indicate that sexual love pack many forms and go hand - in - hand with laugh , tears , heartbreak , and forgiveness .
Lunar New Year Love Storyis available now from First Second Books .
LUNAR NEW YEAR LOVE STORY ( 2024 )
