Jaded

Lee’s promising debut probes what happens when a British woman’s carefully constructed persona shatters after she’s sexually assaulted. The daughter of a Turkish father and a South Korean mother, Jade Kaya was born Ceyda Kayaoğ lu. At 25, Jade has assimilated into upper-class English society, immersed in her high-powered job practicing corporate law and involved with a wealthy white boyfriend, Kit. Everything about her life is practiced and studied—down to the name Jade, which began as her “Starbucks name.” After she’s sexually assaulted by a colleague, however, she reconsiders her relationships and aspirations. Kit’s performative support for marginalized people doesn’t extend to sticking up for Jade against his friends’ casual racism, and her two best female friends disagree on whether she should file a formal workplace complaint. At times, these characters can feel more like straw men than real people. Lee is better, though, at untangling the complicated emotions wrapped up in Jade’s evolving relationship with her parents, who fear she will lose hold of her material successes and grieve their home countries. Though somewhat lacking in nuance, this is carried along by flashes of genuine rage and connection. (Mar.)