An Na,
The Fold
Putnam Juvenile, 2008

Ages 12-16

Aigoo!*  Teens contemplating plastic surgery make most grownups cringe, but not Joyce Kim’s rich aunt.  This 21^st century dilemma is laid out for young adult readers in An Na’s third novel, The Fold.  Joyce, a Korean American high school junior living in Los Angeles, is considering blepharoplasty, a cosmetic procedure to create a more ‘western’ looking eyelid, after her wealthy Gomo offers to pay for the surgery.

‘I want to be part of the fold’ laments Joyce.  Her wish holds double meaning as she imagines the creation of a double fold in her eyelid will transform her staid social life and attract the interest of her crush, John Ford Kang.  ‘JFK,’ as Joyce and her best friend, Gina, dub him, is a ‘banana’ or  ‘Twinkie’ –a half-Asian surfer dude who effortlessly slips between the different ethnic social scenes at school.

Na expertly captures the cadence of urban teen speak, which sets the novel apart from typical YA fare covering best friends, annoying little brothers, perfect older sisters and clueless adults. The book contains all these archetypes and more, but is rich with references to contemporary Korean American life in the United States.  Joyce’s siblings are drawn particularly well, and their own struggles and insecurities are revealed slowly as the story develops.  Just when Joyce thinks her sister Helen couldn’t be more perfect, Helen confides in Joyce that she is gay, offering a new perspective on their relationship and recalibrating the family dynamic.

An Na won the Michael Printz Award for her highly regarded first novel, A Step from Heaven, and continues to write sharp, observant literature for young people.  The teen voices in The Fold ring true, but some harsh name-calling in the book might make it inappropriate for the younger set.

The book has many hilarious moments, and includes perhaps the most graphic description of lancing a pimple ever written outside of a medical text.  The rich aunt is nicknamed ‘Michael’ by Joyce - a sly reference to the famous pop star who has had one too many plastic surgeries.  Teens will surely empathize with Joyce’s poignantly comical attempts at a makeover.  Will she go through with the ‘san-ga-pu-rhee’ - the double eyelid fold surgery - and become "beautiful" and "popular"?  Readers rooting for Joyce will be eager to find out and see how the story unfolds.

* a Korean expression with a meaning similar to “Oh my!”

Kristen Daniel
May 2008