Review: ‘White Ivy’ is a dark, suspenseful immigration tale

“White Ivy,” by Susie Yang (Simon & Schuster)

Dark, suspenseful, and beautifully written, Susie Yang’s “White Ivy” is the story of Ivy Lin, a Chinese Immigrant growing up in Massachusetts who wants nothing more than to blend in as an all-American girl — and she is willing to do anything to be one. In her frantic pursuit to fit in, Ivy gains an obsession with her classmate, Gideon Speyer, a wealthy senator’s son.

When as an adult, Ivy once again crosses paths with Gideon, she decides she must finally take her chance at living the charmed American life she has always felt destined to live. And so, she finds herself tangled in a complicated web of relationships with Gideon, his family, her own family, and an old flame that reappears at the most unexpected time.

“White Ivy” is an enthralling, thrill of a book. It is fascinating to spend time inside Ivy’s mind, unique and unapologetic in its bold (and often bad) decisions. A story of many cultures both clashing and converging, White Ivy’s many twists and turns will surprise you until the very last page.