May 22, 2007

Poor Little Rich Girl

“Free Food for Millionaires,” by Min Jin Lee

They say the best things in life are free. But those people have trust funds and pals named Bitsy.

Truth is, the best things (like, say, an Ivy League education) cost tons.

Which is the tough lesson for Casey Han, prodigal daughter and broker-than-brokester protagonist in Min Jin Lee’s debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires.

Lee (a Yale grad) follows Han, daughter of Korean-born New York City dry cleaners, as she navigates life post-Princeton. Han is smart, pretty, and stubborn — but she’s also young, extravagant, and culturally unsure of what an über-expensive degree affords her in the long run.

Lee sheds light on every other character in the book, from adulterous expat choir directors and rags-to-riches department store owners to blue-collar doormen, sprinkling the whole thing with jaw-dropping bits of sex and seduction.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that race, education, and income still make all the difference when it comes to that.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.