Last Night at the Telegraph Club
It’s 1950s San Francisco and Lily Hu dreams of going to the moon, or at least working on the math that will someday send a human into space. Calculations and equations are simpler than the puzzle of her own identity — especially as she becomes increasingly sure that she’s queer. With a new friend who might be like her, Lily finds herself venturing into the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community, falling in love, and hiding it all from her family and friends. But keeping secrets is dangerous, especially as McCarthyism’s rise puts Chinese Americans on the defensive. Thoughtful, romantic, and full of descriptions of delicious food, Lily’s story is one of intersecting identities and first love.
Description
Proof of Malinda Lo's skill at creating darkly romantic tales of love in the face of danger.--O: The Oprah Magazine
The queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine
Restrained yet luscious.--Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet
A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.