The Fetishist

by Katherine Min, Cathy Park Hong (Introduction), Kayla Min Andrews (Afterword)

A provocative, hilariously savage, and poignant novel by acclaimed author Katherine Min, to be published posthumously, about a daughter's revenge on the man whom she believes drove her mother to her death . . . and nothing goes as planned.

The rain has made everything cold and damp, and it's the perfect evening for Kyoko to exact her revenge. After years of rage and grief over her mother's death, Kyoko has decided who is to blame: a man named Daniel, a fellow violinist who had wooed her mother, Emi, during their time together in an orchestra, and then dropped her - driving her to her death. Kyoko follows the unsuspecting Daniel home and manages to get her rash kidnapping plot off the ground . . . and really, what could go wrong?

The Fetishist is the story of three people - Kyoko, a young singer in a punk band who cannot find enough ways to channel her angry sorrow; Daniel, a seemingly hapless man who finally faces the wreckage of his past; and Alma, the love of Daniel's life, long adored for her beauty and talent, but who spends her final days examining if she was ever, truly, loved. It's a beautiful, piercing and timely story that confronts race, ideals of femininity, complicity and visibility. Written and completed before the celebrated author's death in 2019, it's startlingly relevant and prescient, as wise and powerful as it is utterly moving.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Novels, Adult, Book Club

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 2024

About the author

Katherine Min was born in Champaign, Illinois, and was raised in Charlottesville, Virginia and Clifton Park, New York. She attended Amherst College and the Columbia School of Journalism. She has been the recipient of writing grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Hampshire Arts Council. She lives with her husband and children in New Hampshire.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lolita retelling about a white man who only dates asian women...genius.

i badly wanted to like this book, because that's brilliant and because i bought it in the world's most beautiful bookstore and because it's a posthumous release edited by the author's daughter, but it fell flat for me.

it starts off kinetically, with three perspectives and a kidnapping and a secret, but this book was unfinished, mid-revision when the author abandoned it, and you can tell. it follows daniel, a violinist and asian fetishist; kyoko, the daughter of the woman he spurned; and alma, the love of his life. its first pages see two characters contemplating suicide and the third taking up a murder plot.

alma and kyoko are at first outrageously interesting, both as characters and for what they represent, but kyoko falls out of the narrative and alma's ending is so unsatisfying. (i'd be remiss not to mention that the way kyoko's boyfriend, kornell, a black man, speaks and is characterized did not sit right with me.)

this has SO MUCH to say about asian fetishization, which as a white woman marrying an asian man i consider often from a different perspective, but it doesn't want to stick to its guns. it lets daniel weasel his way out of any broader understanding of the phenomenon, and redeem himself in a way that feels icky.

i'll definitely be looking into this author's other work, because my real complaint about this book is that it didn't feel cohesive or complete. and it wasn't!

bottom line: this had so much going for it, but not enough.

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not really sure what to make of this read. It's so different in a way that I almost don't have the words to describe it.

The Fetishist follows the perspective of several characters including Daniel, Kyoko, and Alma each with separate lives, but seemingly intertwined. As readers follow these characters through the past and the present, Min addresses the fetishization of Asian women which is deemed as "yellow fever" by characters in the book. What follows is an interesting look at the lives of these three characters as they attempt to cope with the decisions and actions made by Daniel.

What Worked: This book was entertaining, heartbreaking, and eye opening. I had no previous knowledge of Min as an author, but I'm really interested in checking out more of her previous book as this one was published posthumously. The plot of this book did a lot, but in a positive way. There are various conversations about the fetishization of Asian women by White men and how that is closely related to colonialism; there is a revenge plot in which Kyoko wants to seek retribution for how Daniel treated her mother; and there is a plot that focuses on the emotional and mental well-being of Alma as it is connected to Daniel. All of these plot point intersect in an unexpected way and made me feel so greatly for Alma and Kyoko. Surprisingly, this book was also funny. There were moments, especially those during Kyoko's narrative, that made me smile which was interesting considering this is a book that confronts some pretty tough topics. I appreciated that each of the characters is flawed in their own ways. It makes them feel surprisingly human.

What Didn't Work: I think that this one wrapped up too neatly for me in the end, but that's simply because I wanted to see a specific character suffer more. However, I do recognize that it wasn't my pain that needed to be avenged (this is why I strongly connected with Kyoko).

Overall, this was a great book. A very unexpected read for the beginning of the year, but I'm definitely glad I gave it a chance. Sending so much love to Min's family for their loss. It couldn't have been easy to publish this in her absence.

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately I found this book to be a mess. I’ll start with the positive in that 1) I suppose the book does identify how white men can be Asian fetishizers and 2) the author’s note from Katherine Min’s daughter is touching and heartfelt and I wish her and her writing the best.

However, the themes and messaging of The Fetishist are all over the place. We are presented with the perspective of Daniel, the privileged and offensive white man, and instead of holding him accountable we’re somehow taken on a redemption arc of his disgusting and racist behavior. Throughout the novel he’s reified as tall and attractive even as he fetishizes Asian women. Cathy Park Hong in her introduction writes that this book “brings to life the desires and rage” of three different Asian female characters, though honestly only Kyoko came across as three-dimensional and autonomous (and even she ends up pardoning Daniel) – the other characters, even Alma’s gay best friend, are infatuated and obsessed with Daniel from the beginning to the end.

In sum, I would highly not recommend this book. The prose is readable but that’s about it. The story ignores essentially all history of colonization and white supremacy within the US and abroad. Everything this book sets out to do Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou does ten times better. Even this article written by an Asian American woman for the Huffington Post addresses the topic of white man/Asian woman relationships better than this book in its entirety (not just saying that because the article references my research). Save yourself the time and read something other than this book!

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book utterly and completely.

The Fetishist tells the stories of Alma Soon Ja Lee and Daniel Karmody and Kyoko and her mother Emi whose lives are bound together by love and music. It is ostensibly a love story but has so much more depth. The "fetish" refers to the attraction some men have for Oriental women which Alma refers to as "yellow fever".

The story begins at the end after Alma has been diagnosed with MS and is being cared for by Rickey. The second string to the story is that of Daniel Karmody who broke many hearts including that of Alma and Emi. Daniel is dissatisfied with his life and decides to end it. However Kyoko and her boyfriend Kornell have other ideas. Kyoko blames Daniel for her mother's suicide after her finished their affair.

It sounds a little complicated but it's not. I'm just dreadful at explaining books that have moved me. I want to tell you everything but I certainly don't have Katherine Min's delicate and elegant touch.

The writing is beautiful and if you have access to YouTube then I'd urge you to listen to the pieces of music mentioned (while you read if possible). The music, for me, enhanced the text. But either way the story is simply exquisite. I could imagine every aspect of it and Alma herself was particularly clear in my head.

It is particularly sad to know that this book has been published posthumously, Katherine Min having died from breast cancer in 2019. Her daughter has obviously had input into the novel since that time.

I can't recommend this book highly enough and thank Netgalley and Little, Brown for the advance review copy.

[johnny ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i have chills.

“the fetishist” is an incredibly meaningful and somewhat violent exploration into the way white men fetishize and abuse asian women and their respective cultures. daniel cheats on his wife, claiming that all asian women look the same. when alma falls ill, japanese assassin kyoko decides to kidnap him and torture him to get alma’s revenge, as well as the revenge of all asian women who are victims of fetishization.

poignant, bloodcurdling, and introspective, this is a novel i would recommend to anyone and everyone. it is clear that min has written from a place of pain and turned it into a gorgeous work of fiction.

to find out that this novel is being published posthumously was absolutely heart wrenching. what an amazing woman with so much talent! sending all my love to her family as they heal. i would read anything katherine min has to offer.

thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

But in spite of her cuteness, her size (5'3", 103 lbs), and her age (23), Kyoko's life had been deformed by grief, grief, in turn, twisted to hate, hate hammered to anger, until the anger, the hate, and the grief had become grotesquely fused. Kyoko believed that violence would alleviate all three. In fact, she had bet on it.

This is a book where I thought I knew what to expect going in but it actually unspools in all kinds of unexpected directions. Most surprising is the generosity of Min's vision and the way she sculpts redemption narratives for her characters, even the distasteful Daniel, the fetishist of the title, who has a 'thing' for Asian women based on orientalising tropes.

This is also excellent on what it means to be a classical musician with a kind of visceral sense of music. Nevertheless, despite the presence of fierce Alma and lovely Kornell (is there a slight stereotyping of the big, Black, man, a sort of 'gentle giant' figure?), there's something about the style which held me at arm's length as we have a sense of an omniscient narrator telling us the story.

Or maybe I'm just more cynical and think it takes more than an 'event' (ok, a spell locked in a basement) to turn a long-time misogynistic player into a decent human being?

Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC via NetGalley

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎]

I wanted to be there for this book but it didn't hold my interest. I couldn't overcome the thought that it would have been a better book if Katherine Min had been here to complete it herself.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Fetishist.

I was pleased to see a book dealing with a well-known but often unexplored topic, the fetishization of Asian women.

As an Asian woman, I can relate to the title and acknowledge the types of men that fall into different types of fetishists.

I loved the basic premise, how Kyoko is seeking revenge on her mother Emi's behalf, but I'm disappointed in how that turned out.

Alma, like most reviewers have noted, seem to be the most interesting character in the entire novel yet that ending with Daniel left a sour taste in my mouth.

Emi is, for me, the least likable person in the whole narrative.

One question kept resounding in my brain as I read this: Why do all these women like Daniel?

I didn't get it. He doesn't sound charming, or interesting, and he's definitely not rich.

Is it just because he's handsome and white?

Perhaps Asian women play into the fetishization, by enjoying the attentions and flatteries of men who have a stereotypical view of them.

Daniel's lame reason as to why he fetishes woman, or Alma specifically doesn't hold up.

As an Asian woman, I believe that fetishization of Asian women has a psychosexual component.

And the numerous, graphic sex scenes in the narrative doesn't help; in fact, I felt it validated my belief.

I found these scenes unnecessary nor did it move the plot forward.

The writing was good but the endings for each character unsatisfying, especially for Kyoko since her POV started out strong, but then petered out almost like an afterthought.

I did like how loyal and caring her boyfriend was.

[Diana | LatinaWithABook · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book based on the culture of a man with an Asian fetish.
Kyoko, a woman seeking vengeance for her mother’s suicide, is stalking Daniel down because she believes he’s the reason.
Beautifully written, likable characters. Has some steamy scenes not fade to black. While this book does have some memorable moments I felt that at times this book would lose momentum.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and the late Katherine Min for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars

I was drawn to this book based on the title and plot description. I was sad to learn that the author passed a number of years ago and this book was published posthumously.

I had a difficult time connecting to the writing style. It was poetic and meandering. I don't do well with this type of writing style. The pacing was very slow and not much happened despite the plot being about a kidnapping. It picked up in the last 25%, which bumped it up to 3 rather than 2 stars.

This was a book that I wanted to like much more than I actually did.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A posthumously published novel that takes a sharp and intelligent look at the erotic fetishization of Asian women. Daniel, a classical violinist, is the fetishist under the lens here, a white (of course) man who 20 years before had been madly in love with and ever-so-briefly engaged to beautiful Alma, a Korean concert cellist, until he unforgiveably screwed up. She has refused to have anything more to do with him, and he has never stopped regretting how he destroyed his chance at happiness with her. This tale includes a Japanese punk rocker thirsting for revenge, blowfish neurotoxin, a kidnapping, two thwarted suicides, and glimmers of redemption for all in the end.

[JoyReaderGirl1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found Katherine Min’s novel, “The Fetishist,” a perplexing novel to both read and evaluate because its focus is about how negatively Asian women often perceive Caucasian men’s desire for relationships with them as an irrational form of carnal desire.

The novel centers around musical prodigies—the women Asian, the men that they have romantic affairs with are not.

Per Mins characters, these Asian women consider that these men typically pursue romantic intimacy with them based upon stereotypes like: their small physical statures; a submissive geisha-like natures; their dark eyes and hair; their talent, studiousness and smarts; or an antithesis rebellious nature.

My opinion is that if this is your view, then DO NOT GET INVOLVED WITH THESE MEN!

Although I read the entire novel, I did not enjoy anything about it at all. The subject matter made me uncomfortable from the start, although I kept reading in the hopes that there would be something elevating or ennobling about the endeavor. Alas, nothing was worthy of the hours that I spent reading “The Fetishist.”

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Katherine Min, and Publisher G.P. Putnam’s and Sons for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

[Kendall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man, I wanted to like this but sadly I can't recommend it on any level. Encapsulates what I dislike most about contemporary litfic; elementary overexplaining of social issues (I.e. "Wait a second. You call it a fetish, but what if it's just a preference?" "It's not about preferences, it's about a power dynamic," she shot back, glaring, etc etc), dialogue sounds false, the singular friendship in this book seemed directly downloaded from those Hallmark-style Netflix movies where all you have to do to be best friends is live in the apartment next door and drink wine together and humor each other's quirks. Writing was fine but for the most part really unmemorable. There were a few good nuggets of passages here but really no part of the plot hit home for me and overall it's not as critical as it implies it will be. But nor does it actually manage to shed any light or insight into the perspective or inner conflict of a fetishist.

[ReedingThroughTheYear · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was enthralling. It is about Asian fetishization and the ways in which men, white men in particular, are drawn to Asian women and why (e.g., colonialism, power, stereotypes around submission and sex.)

However, it was about so much more than that. Far from being all one thing - this book was nuanced and beautiful, never telling the reader what to think or how to feel.

Daniel, for all his flaws (and there are many) is not all bad. I found myself grappling with my thoughts on Daniel throughout. Does he have redemption (or what passes for it) by the end?

As many characters did throughout the story, I found myself falling in love with Alma - her strength, her talent, and her enigmatic personality. She was described as someone you would want to orbit around and to spend a life with — which made me feel for Daniel, even if he alone was responsible for the events that transpired.

Kyoko, her grief, anger, and need for revenge was so well-written. The climax of that story arc had me in tears.

A story about culture, who has power and how that power is wielded, consequences, sexism, classism, racism, the toll of mental illness, chronic disease, of passions altered - it’s all there in this short novel. The story, told from multiple perspectives and characters, was well-paced and kept my attention. The prose, was breathtaking— I highlighted so much of my copy, often reading passages aloud to my wife in rapture and awe.

I was deeply saddened to learn of the author’s passing. Katherine Min’s daughter worked to get this book published posthumously and for that, I am so grateful. This will be a favorite book of the year for me. Striking and poignant.

Look for The Fetishist when it comes out on Jan 30 2024.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for an ARC of this title

[Cherise Wolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and hatred and revenge, the beginnings and endings of relationship, suicide and illness, classical music, Asian exoticism, current politics and more fly through this novel. I was totally immersed in the beginning, in its tone, the wildness of what was happening, less so as it went on, but ultimately it is a story of connections and disconnections, of mediating one's space, of growing up and interrogating oneself. Atmospheric, sometimes funny, over-the-top, serious, as the past relationship between Daniel and Alma is fleshed out, where Kyoko fits in, intent on harming Daniel for what she believes he did to her mother. Ultimately, it didn't quite fit together for me, sometimes the politics were a little heavy-handed, still it has life and craziness, a romp with a lot of pathos and food for thought.

Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the Good Read I've been waiting for since January. The characters are alive and unstoppable, barrelling from start to finish with violent, vivid emotion. Could not get enough of Alma – both her present with Rickey and her messy past with Daniel. The description of her MS was so genuine as well; loved that she was still funny and bitter and laughing, but also suffered – and preempted future suffering – with such a devastating sense of loss. And that epilogue about Daniel and Gracie's retainer was just perfect. Finally, a book that made me /feel/!

[David W. Cofer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having heard an interview with the author’s daughter who finished the book after the author’s death, I was excited to read this book. However, the book was difficult to read. It was slow and plodding. The voice was dull, and the characters lacked any interest or excitement.

The story follows Daniel, who is a narcissist and has a fetish of Asian women. He views women strictly as sexual objects to be conquered and then moves on to the next. He is incapable of being faithful to one woman, and even acknowledges this fact. I don’t need the protagonist of the novel to be likeable, and Daniel certainly was not likeable, but at least I need to have an interest in them. I had no interest in Daniel, Kyoko, or any other character in this novel.

The book contained too many characters. Every insignificant person was named. Even in the final chapter many new characters were introduced. This was overkill. The book also spent too much space on flashbacks and reminiscing. It was unnecessary backfill that slowed the story down. Therefore, the book was too long. It comes in at about 280 pages, but would have worked better as a 200 page (or less) novella.

The plot is all over the place. We are following Daniel in the present time in one chapter, a different character in a different time in the next, then back to Daniel in the past. It was difficult trying to follow the timeline. The author’s daughter assembled the novel from various disconnected files and drafts on her mother’s computer, and it appears some must be missing and she put the files in the wrong order. The book makes no chronological sense.

The author attempted to interject humor in the book, especially in the character of Daniel, but it failed miserably. Daniel was not in the least bit funny, despite the author’s attempts to make him come across as humorous.

The ending was incomplete. There is no resolution to many plot lines Perhaps there is another file on the author’s computer that her daughter failed to discover. The editor should have realized this fact. The book ends in a most ridiculous manner with loose ends all over the place.

I was terribly disappointed in the book. It does not even deserve a one-star rating. I hate that I wasted my time reading it.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shocking and stunning story with a perfect blend of intrigue, The Fetishist is an absolute force that hooked me from the start.

It begins with musicians and a mysterious revenge murder plot. Following a few characters and the windows into their various interconnected pasts, if you enjoy stories with multiple perspectives this one is a unique treat. The most prevalent theme throughout is the pervasive fetishization of Asian women (in this case, in the music industry.) And Katherine Min doesn't hold back. The way Min writes anger is especially remarkable - it completely drew me in. The anger explodes from the page, and it's so beautifully realized that I had to pause and let it sit. She balances this force with humor and charm. I was particularly enamored with Alma, the love interest of the character the book is named for, and the true main character in my opinion.

Through the fetishization of the character of Alma, Katherine Min confronts self worth and personal value. By showing multiple angles of self confrontation, she creates a conversation that allows different facets of pain to flourish. It's a perfect blend of literary fiction and thrills, which is a favorite combo of mine. Despite what I've mentioned here, this book is also about love. Love for music, for places, for people. It is being published posthumously by Min's daughter - but the care and love that made that a reality is obvious too.

I can't think of novels I can compare it to, but if you gravitate towards dramatic stories with humor and introspection this is not one to be missed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

[S. Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an unexpected jolt, a startling "zjzjzjzzttt!!" metal fork to the socket of my reader's soul. I had no idea what it was meant to be about other than a philandering Asian fetishist of a mediocre white man--but really, that's just dumb Daniel, and that's not even the whole of him, and he's not even the half of it. There's dazzling, dizzyingly passionate, and talented Alma, the love of his life, but whose orbit he felt eclipsed by; brittle desperate Emi whose affections he spurned; and furious, grief-stricken Kyoko--Emi's daughter, hell-bent on vengeance, for she is convinced her mother died by suicide after Daniel ended their affair. Tackling themes of classism, racism, colonialism, and exploitation, as well as of regret, revenge, and redemption, and motifs of art and music and beauty, and language and imagery that is at turns bleak and playful (a passage in which comatose Alma, her coma toes, coma tossed comes to mind, hee!) these characters are full of surprises and The Fetishist is a singular and extraordinary book.

[faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book would be a little more satisfying but it actually left me feeling... annoyed. Perhaps Min was going for something a little more realistic with the ending but I was here for one thing (murder) and I didn't get it!! However I will say that I appreciated the discussion of Asian fetishization and how it impacts Asian-American women. A single encounter with a fetishizer can leave lingering disgust and culminate into trauma further down the line.

Also this book was labeled as a black comedy but where was the comedy? I didn't find this to be very comedic and it was more sick than anything. The graphic descriptions, the abundance of sex, call me a prude but all of it was just too much for me. But I think Min might have been doing this to show that Asian fetishization is harmful because of how Asian people are viewed as sexual objects who provide nothing more than carnal comforts. In this light, I can appreciate it but still, not my thing for sure.

[Adam(ChaosOfCold) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This. Fk'in. Book.

Katherine Min was a writer of rare talent and this posthumous release makes for essential and poignant reading.

The fetishisation of Asian women(and men) by the Western world has created massively unbalanced power dynamics that are often dangerous and toxic. The Fetishist follows Daniel as he unwillingly embarks on a path of absolution for his past mistakes and the lives destroyed by his hedonistic ways.

Whilst the meat of the story is focused on power dynamics, the fetishisation of minorities and repentance the story also deftly handles grief, disabilities and the loss of self.

This book is hard to read, but it's a rewarding and at times addicting story about the dangers and ripple effects of selfishness.

[el · Rating 2 out of 5]

not sure if i can get behind that ending… but the writing was beautiful.

[Elj · Rating 1 out of 5]

I‘m very disappointed cause the title was so promising… the only action arc hinted at during the story does not play out and so it‘s just extremely boring+the word plays were horrendous…
Also f*ck Daniel, such a creepy and nasty dude🤢

[Kirsten Bedford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually I did not finish this book lol. But, I read 3/4 of it and it just wasn’t for me. I think bringing attention to asian women fetishization in relationships is very important, and it’s clearly a topic the author feels strongly about. Felt so bad for Alma and some of the other women in this story, and it really made me empathize with and understand women in real life who have felt objectified in their relationships in this same type of way.

But with that being said, I don’t think any character in this story is redeemable or likable. Yes, Daniel is definitely the villain here and he’s a fetishist and super racist, but it’s like the women in this book knew that lol. Why would any woman be with Daniel?? I just really wanted to grab them through the book and give them a hard shake and tell them to snap out of it. Really, this white man’s dick CANNOT be that good!!!! And it’s not!!! Plus his personality sucks, he’s literally a loser!! It’s also not like they dated him against their will, they’re all consenting adults. So it’s just annoying that Kyoko’s revenge story is all about getting back at Daniel for “causing” the death of her mother. Her mother made her own choices as well, it’s not like she was completely ignorant of what an affair would do to her relationships with her family and how it would ultimately affect her mental health.

I don’t know. Maybe if I had read this at a time when I wasn’t dealing with my own personal drama I would find this more compelling. I like the writing style and think the story is intriguing, just not enough for me to continue with it. As a side note I also really disliked the sex scenes.

[Meliza · Rating 1 out of 5]

idk i just think it’s weird to write a book about asian fetishes and then have the narrative be extremely sympathetic to the white guy AND have all ur asian female characters be the same archetype of dark haired pale skinned sexually submissive women
also thought it was kinda weird to include a sex scene where one of our asian protagonist has sex with her boyfriend who is black and constantly reminding us of their size difference and how the first time they had sex she bled. uhhh that’s not good. is there a joke i’m missing cuz what was the point of that.
all the main characters are unlikeable, daniel is a fetishsizer whose fetish is seen as justified because it was mostly caused for his love of alma, alma KNOWS that white men fetishsize her and even calls daniel out on it BUT continues to date exclusively white men and even in the end her main relationships are with white men, kyoko wants to get revenge against daniel for what happened to her mom but doesn’t seem to realize that she herself commodifies her japanese heritage in the most stereotypical way with her samurai manga heroine and her musics lyrics. a lot of the book focuses on alma and daniels relationship and god did i not care
is this satire? i don’t think it is

[Elizabeth Tuttle · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Katherine Min was a bit of a sentence-level perfectionist makes sense, because for being published posthumously the writing is excellent.

The story, less so.

The Fetishist is framed as a Lolita inspired story from the perspective of an Asian fetishist. Intriguing! Yet, rather than being an unhinged, unreliable narrator, Daniel is actually (to some extent) a reflective, occasionally empathetic person. It's not that he's a great character, but the lengths to which Min goes to humanize him felt bizarre. On the one hand, I nearly enjoy not knowing how to feel about this characterization. On the other, the book comes off as lacking perspective in the face of an ambitious goal.

I also don't know what to make of Kornell's relationship with Kyoko. For a story that is literally about race fetishization, we sure read a lot about how Big and Black her boyfriend is. But that's not really a dynamic that is explored in any depth. Again, just not sure what to make of it all.

[kylie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm a hater, but this felt disappointing. I found myself making an "ick" face most of the time as I read. The chapter titles were straightforward and childish, like children's tv episode titles, which was distracting. The main characters were all so unlikeable, pretentious, and self-involved.

Was Daniel a fetishist? Sure (and this book was filthy btw), but he didn't single-handedly ruin anyone's life. Was Kyoko at all justified? No, her mother was a grown woman and an affair takes two. Also Kyoko's whole deal felt so cringe. We get it, you're small and angry. Was Alma wronged? Yeah, but she was also a cheater, incredibly self-centered, and argumentative. Everyone sucked.

There were small nuggets of truth interspersed, but mostly it I was overcome by the ick of it all. Like somehow the point felt missed. Most of the time I was actually asking myself, "What is the point?"

**I received my copy from Netgalley.

[Bill Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book…funny, moving, sexy, provocative, full of ideas, music, deeply interesting and complicated main characters, and some of the best writing around: sometimes sharp and clever, other times lyrical and gorgeously descriptive, and always polished, confident, and revelatory. The story is both serious and comic, the characters both realistic and exaggerated, and the themes both timeless and of the moment. I could find things to quibble with in terms of how the narrative is structured (the time shifts can get confusing), the too-neat plot resolution, and the underdevelopment of some of the minor characters…but I’m ignoring all of these because of how much I enjoyed this terrific, extremely accomplished novel.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 stars

The reason I bought this book is because I was at the Livraria Lello in Portugal (highly recommend) and I really wanted to buy something. Honestly, the cover is super cool and stood out against the other books they had in the English section. Upon reading the back I realized it has all the makings of a good story- murder, diverse women, art, and love. The story is centered on Asian American women and is written by an Asian American author which I highly appreciate. The book changes perspectives and each character has a very distinct voice. It’s a decently quick read and I didn’t find myself bored which gives it extra brownie points. I’ve never seen any type of media so bluntly describe the fetishism of Asian women so this book has extra badassery in that regard. The story is unique but the ending caught me off guard. I feel like I needed a couple more chapters to tie up some loose ends in my mind. I also recognize that this book was published posthumously by Katherine Min’s daughter and I am highly grateful for the work that went into that.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

to my transgressive fiction friends: don’t let the title fool you. it’s not about a crazy fetish at all, but rather a white man that has a thing for asian women.