David Yoo,
Girls for Breakfast
Delacorte Press, 2005.

The raft of books exploring the issues confronting Asian-American youths are largely one-dimensional, preachy or politically correct to the point of castration. Maybe it's because this is David Yoo's first novel that he feels unconstrained by convention or cliche. Whatever the reason, he has produced a multifaceted and subtly layered story in which the reader is as tantalisingly confused and irritated in turns as its teenage protagonist.

Nick Park's parents are Korean. But Nick is American. These are two facts he struggles to recognise as he reaches and passes puberty in a typical mid-American community. While he has all the normal traits of a typical youth, Nick has the extra strain of coping with his own as well as his peer's reactions to his Asian heritage.

He is great at tennis and soccer, both designed to place him with the cool guys. He almost deliberately sabotages these advantages. He tries to hide his low self-esteem with a mixture of disinterested arrogance and desperate attention seeking.

His reaction to the extra difficulties he feels he faces is to place himself on the social periphery and exaggerating any perceived ethnic or racial bias in the community. This is the tension of the piece. Nick wants to be one of the gang like every other hot-blooded guy, but finds it hard to put himself in that position because of his unresolved feelings about who he actually is.

Nick's primary solution is to become obsessed with girls and the idea of sex. This leads to embarrassing and inappropriate behaviour. He puts up a range of barriers around himself to prevent others getting in as well as his real self getting out.

Yoo's skill is to manipulate the readers' emotions and reactions to Nick in as intricate manner that reflects the complexity of the various changes he goes through. Like any teenager Nick has unbelievable highs and unbearable lows. You can take that journey with him and hope Yoo provides a return ticket. It will be good value.

Paul McGuire
June 12, 2005

Paul McGuire is a freelance author, writer and reviewer. He is also Deputy Principal of Sha Tin Junior School.