5 Reasons You Should Read Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
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Number 1: It is the perfect mix between historical fiction, coming-of-age, and romance. Malinda Lo manages to perfectly intertwine historical events - such as the Red Scare in the United States - with the main character’s life and her budding romance. Everything flowed well and I was never confused despite having little prior knowledge of some of the historical events discussed. The story follows Lily, a Chinese-American high school student, as she discovers more about her sexual orientation and what is going on around her during the fast-changing 1950s. The romance itself is delicately and slowly developed by the writer. Malinda Lo’s style is fluid and easy to read, with short chapters, making for a very agreeable read.
Number 2: It is very well-documented. While reading this novel, it is noticeable that Malinda Lo had done a lot of research (as well as drawn from her own family history) to make her novel historically and culturally accurate. There are timelines between chapters which explain the both historical context, as well as events in the lives of Lily and her family. The novel ends with an author’s note explaining how the writer chose some specific vocabulary, giving more context and details about some of the events or places discussed in the novel, such as Chinese immigration in San Francisco. We are also provided with a bibliography, which is very useful if you would like to learn more about any of the themes in the book.
Number 3: The themes in Last Night at the Telegraph Club are rarely found in Young Adult Fiction. I would love to be proved wrong on that point, but I cannot think of another book about a queer Chinese-American woman, set in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1950s Red Scare. The characters are also quite original, with several women passionate about mathematics, science-fiction, and space exploration. Lily’s aunt works at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Lily dreams to follow in her footsteps. Another character dreams of becoming an airplane pilot. Some other themes explored include the characters’ experiences with racism, Miss Chinatown beauty contests and “male impersonator” shows.
Number 3: It is set in San Francisco. That is probably not the most compelling argument but, if San Francisco makes you dream (as it does for me), then this novel is for you. Russian Hill, Chinatown, Broadway, North Beach… all of the most famous spots are there (including a lot of wind, fog and mist).
Number 5: I am not the only one who loved this book. Sarah Waters (the bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet and The Night Watch) describes it as “a lovely, memorable novel about listening to the whispers of a wayward heart and claiming a place in the world”. Last Night at the Telegraph Club also won several awards including the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award and the Youth Literature Award from the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association.