If you count yourself among the denizens of contemporary dark satire who assume that gleeful nihilism is the purview of only middle-aged white men like Chuck Palahniuk and Bret Easton Ellis, prepare to broaden your horizons and meet Angela Choi. This is Choi's first book, and Angela Lin, noted for her voice work on the novel Lost in Translation, narrates it with triumphant cheekiness.

This is the story of Fiona Yu, a jaded Bay Area lawyer approaching 30 while saddled with all the stereotypical baggage of living with her traditional Chinese parents. Choi herself lives in San Francisco, turned 30 not long ago, and quit her law firm to write this book. As this book contains about 20 murders, hopefully Choi's art does not mirror her life too completely. Fiona is a badass, not a Hello Kitty. A Hello Kitty is the kind of Asian woman who loses her virginity to an arranged marriage then spends the rest of her life quietly cooking and doing laundry.

Lin hilariously puts on her most cartoony Chinese and vacant Californian accents as Fiona bitterly mocks both the Asian and the American cultural institutions that keep her from having a good time. With the help of her sidekick, a childhood friend turned hymen reconstructive surgeon by day and lady-killer by night, Fiona plots to escape her arrogant boss, her boring fiancé, and her sheltered existence under the thumb of an exasperating father who is constantly reminding her to wear lipstick. Their tools for accomplishing these remarkable feats of social dexterity include a half dozen Snickers bars, a boat called The Countess with the ‘o’ scratched out, a pretty sexy collection of stiletto heels, a love of Kurt Cobain, and the will to do very bad things to people who sort of deserve it.

A refreshing change of pace from the usual black comedy, this tasty little tale of vengeance served hot over ramen noodles is equal parts charming and obnoxious. Angela Lin's salty sweet rendering of a unique new character aberration that possesses some wickedly familiar sentiments is cause for optimism on the satirical battlefield of inhumane thoughts and criminal deeds that has too long been dominated by white guys. Prepare to be shamefully delighted. —Megan Volpert