Susie Yang - White ivy

I am so grateful for my editor, Marysue Rucci, for being the most meticulous of readers and passionate of champions. You said an author only gets a debut once, and thank god mine was with you. White Ivy wouldn’t be the book it is today if not for your innumerable insights, patience, and conviction in this story. In addition, thank you to the entire S&S team, particularly Zack Knoll, Hana Park, Maggie Southard Gladstone, and Elizabeth Breeden. You guys made this process seamless and welcomed me with warmth and encouragement.

Thank you to my two boisterous, loving families: the Ye and Yang clans. To my parents for making me feel brilliant and supported; to my brother, Derek Ye, lifelong serf, favorite eating companion, ally to the last; my yéye, in whose lap I learned the magic of stories; my Chongqing family who spoiled me all those hot, magical summers; and to my mother-in-law, Helen Fan, the epitome of class, grace, and strength; I hope to be half the woman you were.

I wouldn’t have made it here without the wise advice of Glen David Gold, the early encouragement and astute edits of Josh Ferris, or the terrific writing communities of Tin House, Sackett Street, 92nd Street Y, the Writers Grotto, Squaw Valley Writers Workshop, and Slice Literary Writers’ Conference. These institutions are an aspiring writer’s lifelines, and make all the difference.

Thank you to Stephen Hogsten, Tiffany Jin, Michelle Yang, and Emily Yang, for your early readings and kind feedback. Thanks to Pablo Montoya for your beautiful designs and for always having my back. To the friends who’ve supported me from the beginning, letting me write in your homes and during our cross-continental visits: Aneesh Devi, Joosung Kim, Hayang Lee, Rich Lem, Angela Wu. I am forever grateful to Lucy Tan, fellow INFJ, kindredest of kindred spirits. I would never have found the grit to write this novel if it weren’t for your trailblazing example, candid advice, and writerly commiserations—I’m in your corner, always.

Lastly, thank you to Alex Yang, best of friends, best of husbands, and best of champions. To try and list everything you’ve done for me and this book is an impossible task. But make no mistake— I know . You will always be the first reader, and the last. Home is where you are.

A Simon & Schuster Reading Group Guide

White Ivy

Susie Yang

This reading group guide for White Ivy includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Susie Yang. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you’d never know it by looking at her.

White Ivy begins as many coming-to-America stories do: Ivy Lin, a Chinese immigrant, grows up in a low-income apartment complex in Massachusetts desperate to assimilate with her American peers. She develops a crush on the golden boy Gideon Speyer, whose patrician New England family is the paragon of the WASP ideal. Ivy’s mother is a Tiger Mom, berating Ivy regularly when she disapproves of her grades, her looks, her attitude. But that’s where the familiar story ends. Because Ivy has a mentor—her grandmother Meifeng—from whom she learns to shoplift to get the things she needs.

Ivy develops a taste for winning and for wealth. Years later, when she bumps into Gideon’s sister, Ivy believes it’s destiny. She’s worked long and hard to be the right woman for Gideon. But just as they begin dating, another man from Ivy’s past appears, and he has his own set of rules. Ivy soon has a foot in two vastly different worlds.

The question is: Which will she choose? A coming of age story, a love triangle, an exploration of class and race and identity, White Ivy is a page-turner that will appeal to fans of The Talented Mr. Ripley . Ivy Lin is compelling and unnerving. And you’ll root for her—perhaps in spite of yourself.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. After finishing the novel, reexamine the title . What do you think it refers to? In what ways can the title be interpreted?

2. The novel is both a thriller with plot twists and social commentary on the “model minority” myth. How does Susie Yang meld these usually disparate genres?

3. Since middle school, Ivy values appearances and decorum. She believes that “Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear” (p. 39). She wants others to think that she is morally upright, and she is ashamed when Roux catches her stealing. Why do you think Ivy values the appearance of propriety? How much of it is from her family and how much of it is from her environment?

4. Meifeng shares with Ivy the story about how her parents got together. Years later, Ivy learns new details of that story from her own mother. How does Ivy’s evolving understanding of her parents’ history inform how she pursues her goals?

5. Ivy meets Dave, Gideon’s mentor, and his wife, Liana, an Asian woman, at a party. How does their interracial relationship differ from that of Ivy and Gideon?

6. Ivy thinks at one point, “Perhaps this was the secret to a lasting marriage: to always uphold a veil of mystery between each other” (p. 147). Does this veil exist in her relationship with Gideon? Does it exist in her relationship with Roux? Why or why not?

7. Ivy’s and Gideon’s families meet for the first time on Thanksgiving. How do their families’ cultures clash? How do their cultural differences manifest in the discussion about the wedding?

8. Throughout Ivy’s childhood, her parents are strict and frugal. Later on, her parents attain middle-class legitimacy and are more supportive of her. How does Ivy’s relationship to her parents develop over the course of the book?

9. Ivy is ambitious and covets privilege. She longs for money, access, and legitimacy. What different desires do Gideon and Roux satisfy in Ivy? In what ways do their respective relationships remain unsatisfactory for her?

10. In a violent altercation, Ivy and Roux hit each other. Afterward, Roux says “I love you” for the first time. How do Roux’s childhood and past relationships influence his behavior toward Ivy?

11. Ivy dyes her hair blond before making a crucial decision in the book. What does her blond hair signify?

12. What do White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs) exemplify for Ivy? What attraction do they hold and how does Gideon exemplify this ideal?

13. Why does Ivy struggle to embrace her Chinese culture?

14. On her wedding day, Ivy learns not only a truth about Gideon, but also about Sylvia’s role in their relationship. How does Sylvia protect her brother?

15. In your opinion, does Ivy succeed in the end? Is she happy?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. With its dark twists and turns and addictive plot, White Ivy seems like the perfect book to adapt into a movie or TV show. Who would you cast as its stars?

2. Ivy straddles both Chinese and WASP culture. As a group, discuss how you may have had to navigate and embrace different cultures.

3. Ivy is a strong-willed heroine who is shameless about her desires; she ruthlessly pursues her ambitions. Name other heroines in literature who remind you of Ivy.

A Conversation with Susie Yang

Q: White Ivy has one of the most memorable lines in contemporary fiction: “Ivy Lin was a thief but you would never know it to look at her.” How did this line come to you?

A: I knew I wanted to create a protagonist whose outer appearance was incongruous with her personality so she would be underestimated and misjudged upon initial impression. When I had the idea of Ivy shoplifting as a teenager to acquire the things her parents wouldn’t buy her, the first line came to me.