"Sly and thoroughly compelling, Kirstin Chen's Counterfeit illuminates the world of fake designer handbags, as ruthless adventuress Winnie and her upstanding former college roommate Ava build an illicit business out of bravado and lies. Nothing is as it seems, and Chen's ingenious plot will keep you breathless to the last page." -- Claire Messud, New York Times bestselling author of The Burning Girl

 

"Kirstin Chen keeps readers on the edge of their seats as she weaves an addictive tale about the high/low world of counterfeit luxury handbags, spanning San Francisco to Guangzhou. A glittering, provocative read." -- Janice Y. K. Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Expatriates

 

"Counterfeit is a riveting and energetic novel about a world that so many of us encounter but rarely understand beyond the surface. Chen deftly guides readers through the exploits of old friends Ava and Winnie while also exploring the intricacies of friendship, class, culture, and survival." -- Balli Kaur Jaswal, acclaimed author of Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows

 

"Counterfeit is as stylish and smart as its mastermind heroines. Kirstin Chen writes, with humor and verve, prose that's as addictive as a luxury handbag habit, and psychologically rich characters, too. Come for the con, stay for the insights into identity and self discovery, and the ever-elusive American dream." -- Rachel Khong, award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin

 

"Bury What We Cannot Take explores what it takes to survive in a world gone mad—and what is lost when we do. Kirstin Chen has written both an engrossing historical drama and a nuanced exploration of how far the bonds of familial love can stretch." -- Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, on Bury What We Cannot Take

 

"Kirstin Chen’s debut is a delicious page-turning treat. Chen captures the zeitgeist of Singapore’s new generation in an engrossing, intimately layered tale of love, family, and the discovery of one’s true calling. It will also turn every reader into an artisanal soy sauce aficionado willing to settle for nothing but the best."  -- Kevin Kwan, author of Crazy Rich Asians, on Soy Sauce for Beginners

 

"Longstanding friendship, fake luxury, and elaborate theft . . . and from a writer whose previous novels have been utterly captivating—yes, please.” -- Electric Literature, 62 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2022

 

"The perfect blend of family drama, complicated romance, and behind-the-scenes artisanal brewing of the world's most unsung condiment."  -- Glamour on Soy Sauce for Beginners

 

"Chen captures the complex and terrifying political environment of the time through San San’s horrifying experience trying to reach her family, as well as through the depiction of the consequences of family loyalty over party loyalty. This is a fascinating family portrait."  -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Bury What We Cannot Take

 

"Kirstin Chen evokes with wonderful brio the conflicts of a family business, and of a family. Reading these vivid pages made me want to catch the next plane to Singapore. Or failing that read another absorbing chapter. A sparkling debut."  -- Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, on Soy Sauce for Beginners