The Future Perfect

by Cay Kim

A radiant, exquisitely told portrait of a young woman growing up between cultures, in search of her future self

Before you are anything, you are a daughter.

At first, you are a child at home in your mother’s belly: a beloved daughter, a vision of the future. But who will you become? At the Dol ceremony on your first birthday, dressed in a bright fuchsia hanbok, your family gathers around to see which item you’ll reach for that will determine the course of your life. You choose the pencil.

As your family moves from Seoul to snowy Minnesota, you and your mother find yourselves in a new American life that you must navigate together, mastering its language and customs. Soon enough, you are in pursuit of perfection—your mother marshaling you through a childhood of achievements to shape you into the person she most wants you to be. But you are not just your mother’s daughter, despite her sacrifices. As the years go by, you want to build a life between these two cultures that feels yours—an identity that lies somewhere in between your homeland and motherland.

Told in incandescent prose, Cay Kim’s debut novel is a portrait of a brilliant young woman growing up between worlds, and a glorious love letter to girlhood, family, and the great dreams we hold for ourselves, no matter where we’re from.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Family, Coming Of Age

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 23, 2026

Reviews

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

gotta be one of my favorite tenses

(thanks to the publisher for the copy)
(review to come)

[Kristine]

I love to try New Debuts that I haven’t heard anything about yet. This Story was one that interested me, and like the Conflict Between Mother and Daughter and trying to Balance Your Own Life and Goals with that of Family Expectations.

Takes place between Korea and US, and obviously different cultural expectations.

I have 10 Days to Read this before Publication Date. I have gotten so far behind, so hope to finish this book before then.

[James B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead for the ebook. In short chapters, we get the complicated history of a Korean family. A strong willed mother takes her young daughter to Minnesota so she can get an architectural degree and her daughter can discover a childhood in America. Over the years the daughter bounces back and forth as she comes to America for summer camp and then boarding school and then university and finally graduate school. The daughter is desperate for her mother’s love and wisdom when young, but they seem to fall into a constant battle of wills as the daughter gets older. She seems to always leave before an all out way breaks out, but then COVID hits and they are stuck in the same apartment for months and the daughter starts to see why her mother pushed her so much.

[Chrissy Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
A story told in separate short-story chapters about a Korean family, focused on the difficult, deeply complicated relationship between a mother and a daughter with feet in two different countries and cultures, not fully belonging to either.

I applaud Kim's attempt at an untraditional narrative POV -- only using "you" and "her" -- but it got in the way a lot for me in its clunkiness. Otherwise I found this story to be compelling in its emotional rawness and in Kim's choices on when to zoom in and out.

+++
Thanks to Riverhead Books and Net Gally for this ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

[Sarah]

A devastating disappointment. A gorgeous cover and evocative title, but with writing that didn't live up to the above promise. An unfortunate reminder why the second person should, with vanishingly few exceptions, be reserved for short stories and struggles to be sustained across a novel. Does the justin torres vignette thing but doesn't have the brevity, precision, or ferocity to make it work. foreign words in italics (ugh, i thought we were long past that!). A lack of a greater organizing narrative throughline which i think the book is conscious of, but being conscious of it doesn't make it automatically work. Autobiographical (what isn't?) but under-cooked. Lastly, no reference to the tense at all!! why name your book the future perfect if there is no reference to the tense, or even (conspicuously) "will having done" anything???? i had been waiting for the entire book for it and it would have hit so hard. this kind of immigrant literature makes me sad.

[Patti Coil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet collection of short stories about family, duty, the dreams mothers have for their daughters, and daughters trying to not to become their mothers.

This book just landed for me at the right time - trying to decide which gifted course of study to choose for my own daughter next year. Will I ruin her life? Will she hate me if I choose the wrong one? So I’m already in that head space, but no where near the mother in this novel.

This isn’t a perfect book. The 2nd person narrative mostly works when the daughter is younger, but becomes less compelling as she grows up. What is really striking if the ability to let the story breathe. It is unhurried. Events are left to unfold. Relationships evolve as caretaking shifts throughout a lifetime and the pull to repeat the dynamics of previous generations intensifies. Worth giving the book a spin to see if it works for you.

[qq · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes this book different from other Asian American/Diaspora stories about complex mother daughter relationships is that it is truly nuanced and patient in the way that it describes this dynamic. The mother is an individual herself rather than an opposing force that fuels bitterness and resentment in her daughter’s life. In a way, it feels like the daughter is the one that does not have her own individual formation, but it makes sense because she is still growing. At the very beginning, she was just a daughter, and it grows from there. We all need a starting point and that point stems from our mothers. I thought it was such a genius move to write this book in second person since we as readers are growing with the protagonist. We’re witnessing her growth and we see that at every point of her life, her mother was an influential voice affecting her thoughts and choices, yet at the same time they feel like their own. I think the normalcy of the book, of the events, of the interactions make it so that we can feel the complexity of their relationship like tingles on our skin that resonate more and more. I really love reading books about mother daughter relationships, and I would say that this one is very very well done compared to many in the Asian American/Asian Diaspora canon.

Thank you Netgalley and Riverhead for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Char Grell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead publishing for the advanced readers e-book.

At the heart of the novel is the evolving relationship between the narrator and her mother, marked by love, tension, and mutual resilience. The main character straddles two worlds—Korean heritage and American upbringing—trying to forge a sense of self that honors both. The book captures the quiet, powerful moments of growing up: choosing who you want to be, and who you are beyond what others expect. As her family moves from Seoul to snowy Minnesota, the girl and her mother must adapt to a new American life. The story follows her journey from childhood into adolescence, exploring how she grapples with language barriers, cultural dissonance, and the weight of generational hopes.

Before I sat down to type this review, I reviewed what others have already said and reviewed on Goodreads. While I was prepared to say: I didn't like the 2nd person narrative. Upon reading other reviews, I may have missed the point. The whole point was that we were to feel with the mother and daughter along with them. We (the readers) are to grow and evolve with the mother/daughter relationship. We were supposed to be uncomfortable as we work through change.

I will say I did not care of the use of Korean language used without acknowledging what the words meant. Yes, I know I can google and look them up. But the eReader didn't know what those words either. This is coming from a place of me wanting to learn - not disparaging on the writing style. There will be many people that will read this without issue.

Mother-Daughter relationships are complicated, and their relationship was no different.

Thanks to the other reviewers that came before me on this one to help me understand what I missed or this would have been a 2-star review.

3 stars from me is a solid book.

Thank you NetGalley and Riverhead publishing for the advanced readers e-book.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a complex mother-daughter story with multicultural aspects set between Korea and the US. Both mother and daughter have no names in the telling.

A woman born in Seoul to a mother who espouses the Korean post-war philosophy of resilience and endurance chafes against this. When the mother goes to the US (Minnesota) to attend school, she sends her daughter to a private school there to learn English but as the girl becomes a teenager, tensions arise between the two and when the mother returns to Korea to care for the grandmother, the daughter stays (she’s older at this point). Eventually the daughter returns with the realization that her mother’s sacrifice to give her daughter the ability to determine her own fate is one she didn’t realize and never said thank you for.

This to me was a most bitter story. The mother struggles for her identity and her daughter’s but neither sees the other side of the struggle. The pathos and sadness of the story can be overwhelming. I was though somewhat gladdened by the book’s ending though.

My biggest criticism of the book was that I was thrown off in the reading by the overuse of “you” and “her” - I sensed this use was to accentuate the feeling of melancholy and was perhaps intentional but it was off putting and didn’t allow me to connect with a character. While the novel Rebecca has a narrator with no name, I think I might have enjoyed this book better if someone had a name.

Overall I think this book’s examination of what mothers will do for their daughters is a fine one. I enjoyed the multicultural aspects of the book as I read it during AAPI month.

My thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for allowing me access to this ARC.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I want, to dedicate myself to you. from Future Perfect by Cay Kim

A mother who gave up her own life when she became pregnant while in college is determined to find her purpose in raising a daughter to have the life she had wanted. She believes she acts out of love, but it is really out of a need to justify her life choices. Her overbearing and controlling manipulation alienates her daughter, and yet her daughter is still caught in the cycle of striving for perfection. Too late, the mother realizes her error.

This novel refers to the daughter as ‘you’ “You know she did it for you,” and you as the reader comes to identify with the daughter.

The daughter goes to the best schools, studies in America, has tutors. She both loves and hates her mother, wishes for her approval and rebels against the strict control.

She learns to shift between countries and cultures, Korea and America.

There is great psychological depth in this startling debut novel. It made me consider my own mother and my own mothering, how parents hope their children don’t make the mistakes they did, achieve what they had hoped to achieve. Can we forgive ourselves, our parents? Can we forge a life of our own choosing?

Thanks to Riverhead Books for a free book.

[Mahnoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a novel!

Told in a stylistic narration that seems to address only "you" and 'her," this story is a poignant and melancholic story of a mother-daughter duo.

I just love reading about women who reminisce about their childhood and growing up while trying to understand themselves. I also feel like this was the first time I read a novel where I felt like the inclusion of COVID-19 actually helped and made sense for the story and the characters. We get to see how they deal with being in close confines for ages and what that means for their relationship. I also couldn't help but draw some parallels to But The Girl by Jessica Zhan Mei Yu, another novel which is not about carving out a new identity, but learning to understand the people who made you who you are, as is the case for The Future Perfect. It is a very character-driven book so I can see why others who want a more typical plot would not enjoy it.

I highly recommend this book for its portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship in all of its visceral emotional rawness.

[Sydnopses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley & Riverhead for the advanced readers copy of The Future Perfect by Cay Kim. This book immediately captured my attention. The 2nd person POV was incredibly captivating. Sometimes throughout the book, the she vs he got a bit muddy, and it became a bit confusing who the narrator was talking to (only in group settings) I’d suggest putting the years each chapter took place in since there were a lot of time jumps, I would love to follow the evolution of the MC this way. I think it would make the depth of the story stronger too. This was one of the strongest ARC’s I’ve read so far. As a half Asian, half white person, ‘being’ the MC dealing with the culture shock of studying / adapting to the accustoms of both cultures felt very familiar, and I think it encapsulates a lot of struggles a lot of immigrants can relate too, including my haelmoni. This book also does an excellent job depicting the complex relationships mothers and daughters have. I can’t wait to see how the story is when it is published, as well as more of this Authors future work.

[Gabby N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a coming-of-age story unlike any I’ve ever read; the second person POV and vignette-like chapters crafted so deftly, I was loathe to put this down. This gorgeous debut left me thinking about identity, about parents and caretaking, about reversals of generational order, of the expectation of parental sacrifice, and of their children—the benefactors of their parents’ martyrdom—burdened with living to appease them; and how that never leads either person to living a life that feels like their own. (Living for another person, this book reminds, never really serves either you or them, more often seeding resentment than anything else.)

I am still trying to work out the significance of the oranges, though: was that the critical moment of severance, as the MC promised her mother it would be? There’s also, I think, something to the idea of peeling, of being peeled; of the layers we all contain; the various versions of our selves and all of their facets, and the ways new versions of ourselves emerge from previous. Of shedding.

[bog.librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story read like a memoir. The main character is a different age and in a new stage of her life and her relationship with her mother in each chapter. I appreciated the portrayal of a complicated mother-daughter relationship and valued the experience of following the daughter as she grew up and developed into her own person while still carrying the heavy weight of her mother and her mother’s mother. While our circumstances are entirely different, I connected with that aspect of the story. I thought that the scenes with all three generations of women present were thoughtful and accurately showed the reality of generational trauma and how it impacts relationships between mothers and daughters. I would recommend this if you enjoy quiet but powerful character driven literary fiction and reading about mother-daughter relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Renu S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really thoughtful and moving read that I found myself thinking about long after I finished it. The story does a wonderful job exploring the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, as well as what it means to grow up between two cultures. There were so many moments that felt authentic, especially when it came to family expectations, sacrifice, and the pressure to live up to someone else's vision of success.

I also appreciated how the characters evolved throughout the novel. Not all of the changes were dramatic, but the small shifts felt realistic and meaningful. The perspective broadens more toward the end, which added a lot of depth and helped me better understand the different generations and why they behaved the way they did. It was interesting to see how family patterns and cultural expectations shaped each person's choices. Overall, this is a beautifully written debut that offers a lot to think about while telling an engaging and heartfelt story.

[Elena L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story follows a daughter since before she was born to her move from Korea to America.

THE FUTURE PERFECT is about familial and mother-daughter relationship stripped down to its rawness. Told through vignettes, (American) assimilation and the intersections between societal/family expectations and generational gap are examined in a meticulous way, which combined with an unconventional perspective, are the strength of this novel.

While written with an emotional rawness that exposes the complexity of Korean family and navigating between cultures, the themes are familiar in a way that might feel trite. On the other hand, I think the singular POV adds an inventive touch to the story, only lacking the emotional impact for this to be a different immigrant narrative.

This debut novel is for those wanting to dive into Korean dynamics and culture.

[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher Riverhead books . All opinions are my own ]

[Helen Wu ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and thoughtful exploration of identity, culture, and the complicated bond between mother and daughter. I always appreciate BIPOC and immigrant-centered stories, and I valued how this one captures the in-between feeling of navigating two cultures with honesty and nuance. There are moments that feel deeply intimate and emotionally sharp, especially in how it portrays expectation, love, and resentment within a family. That said, the experimental writing style and shifting perspective made it harder for me to fully connect, and at times I found myself more aware of the structure than immersed in the story. I can absolutely see why this will resonate with many readers, particularly those who enjoy literary, character-driven narratives, but for me it was more a book I admired than one I felt fully pulled into. Thank you Netgalley and Riverhead for the ARC.

[Wajiha (Jiya) ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where the writing is definitely the strongest part. The prose is beautiful, emotional, and almost poetic at times. I was literally highlighting so many lines because they captured feelings so well. I genuinely loved the author's writing style.

The story itself, though, didn't connect with me as much as I expected. I appreciated the exploration of identity, family expectations, and growing up between two cultures, but the pacing felt slow, and I struggled to stay fully invested. I admired what the book was trying to do though.

I'm glad I picked it up for the gorgeous writing alone, but I wanted a little more emotional impact and momentum from the story. If you enjoy quiet, introspective literary fiction with stunning prose, this might be the perfect book for you.

[Victoria D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a challenging book to review. There is much of it that I found very emotional, wondering, and beautifully written (especially at the beginning and very end). But there were also many parts that I felt lose, that felt like filler, and that felt like I had to figure out what was going on/what the story took place/who was speaking and who was being referred to which I felt took away from the emotion that was portrayed. It meant that u couldn’t be in the moment with the characters and rather was trying to figure out what was happening. Regardless, there are many strong points to this book, perhaps I am the wrong audience. Thanks to all involved in providing me an eARC of this book to review.

[ella (luniellar) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Future Perfect by Cay Kim is a moving novel about a Korean American girl growing up between two cultures. The story explores family expectations, identity, and the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. Cay Kim's writing is emotional and thoughtful, showing both the struggles and sacrifices of immigrant families. I felt seen in the language, interactions, and so many pockets of everyday life. Although the storytelling style is different, the book offers a powerful and heartfelt look at love, ambition, and finding where you belong when the traditional definition of home no longer applies to you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for an early copy of this book!

[Julia Zarifullina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Future Perfect by Cay Kim is a thoughtful and often sad story about the relationship between a mother and her only daughter as she grows up.

The most unusual aspect of the book is that it is written entirely in the second person ("you"), which took me some time to adjust to and occasionally felt confusing. However, it also made for an interesting reading experience.

While I appreciated the emotional depth and themes of family, love, and growing up, I never fully connected with the story. Overall, this is a reflective literary novel with an unconventional style that may resonate with readers who enjoy character-driven family stories.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Future Perfect is about the complicated dynamic that can exist between mothers and daughters. The mom in the story has her perfect vision of how she can create the perfect life for her daughter, by pushing her to study, by neglecting her own desires. However, like in life, this leads to resentments on both ends. I enjoyed how real this book is, it doesn’t try to sugarcoat things to arrive and an artificially happy ending. Instead, it presents life how it really is- imperfect, with a glimpse at the fact that you can love someone, but still have complicated feelings towards them.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really gorgeous prose. I was most struck by the detailed images Kay paints of childhood in the first half of the novel with incredible recall: The smell of your mother's cooking, the hard plastic of a McDonald's playground tunnel under your knees, the gut churning sick feeling of lying to a parent for the first time.

The second person narration, which is famously very hard to pull off, was also very well done and really added to the reflective auto-fiction tone.

Once the novel progressed into early adulthood and left that sense of childlike wonder and photorealistic nostalgia behind my interest and reading pace slowed a bit, but overall a great read and impressive debut novel.

[Nessa Velez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way this story was told in moments and spaces for each block of story. It is a deeply emotional style of writing that goes slow but has so much depth to it.

It is a coming of age, growing up, finding yourself and understanding the deep love our family has for us and us for them. The sense of permanence and connection with our heritage and the country and customs we carry with us, no matter where we go.

When we feel lost, how do we center ourselves, how do we connect our own expectations for ourselves and the ones our parents have? All of these questions are asked and unraveled through Cay Kim’s writing. A stunning debut that feels award winning.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful debut novel about how complicated the mother-daughter relationship is. I’m an absolute sucker for a story about mothers and daughters, and I found that there was a lot I loved about this book. The writing style is unique with the POV shifts, and I applaud Cay Kim for taking such an unconventional approach to putting us in the place of these characters.

There was an intensity to this book that could be a bit overpowering. I appreciated the glimpse it gave of family life in this home that shifted between countries.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[vi_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Apology? Don't say something that isn't even funny. If halmuni raised me with the care I did you, I would have had no other wishes. Why should I apologize for doing what I believed was best for you?"

I'm a sucker for examinations of Asian mother-daughter relationships, especially in the only child realm. If Chemistry was the best exploration of this dynamic from a late 20s/early 30s POV, The Future Perfect is its counterpart for childhood/young adult coming-of-age.

[Deirdre Megan Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one that I struggled with but not in the way you might think. The story touches on complicated relationships with a mother and it was something that I can relate to from my past. Over all very well done as a debut novel. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the earc in exchange for my honest review.

[Olivia Allbritton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has such an interesting and inventive writing style, which was really cool. However, that just didn’t quite land right for me; I just never felt connected to or invested in the story. Could totally be someone else’s cup of tea, though!

*thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.*

[Jeana Upschulte Knickerbocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

The Future Perfect appealed to me because of the mother-daughter relationship component. I found the characters’ relationship development as the focus is what made this book so interesting to me, a psychologist. As a reader of memoirs, this book read like one at times. Well-done for a debut novel!

[Hillary Getty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the tension in mother/daughter relationships. I found the second person choice to be immersive at first, but it lost me a bit later on; I think it limited the emotional depth of the story. I liked the Korean language and food threaded throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead for the advance copy.