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Virtual Event – Simon Han

December 3, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Magic City Books is thrilled to celebrate the release of Nights When Nothing Happened, the debut novel by Simon Han. Simon is formerly a Tulsa Artist Fellow and was a visiting professor of Creative Writing at The University of Tulsa.

This free event will be moderated by Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown, and hosted on the Zoom platform. To register in advance, visit: https://magiccitybooks.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QZ2BST0VROGZOY6l1YB5ng. After registering you will receive email confirmation about attending the event on December 3 at 7:00 CST.

Nights When Nothing Happened is available at Magic City Books or you can order online here: https://magiccitybooks.square.site/product/nights-when-nothing-happened/213. Books purchased online can be picked up in the store or shipped for a small fee.

About Nights When Nothing Happened

From the outside, the Chengs seem like so-called model immigrants. Once Patty landed a tech job near Dallas, she and Liang grew secure enough to have a second child, and to send for their first from his grandparents back in China. Isn’t this what they sacrificed so much for? But then little Annabel begins to sleepwalk at night, putting into motion a string of misunderstandings that not only threaten to set their community against them but force to the surface the secrets that have made them fear one another. How can a man make peace with the terrors of his past? How can a child regain trust in unconditional love? How can a family stop burying its history and forge a way through it, to a more honest intimacy?

Nights When Nothing Happened is gripping storytelling immersed in the crosscurrents that have reshaped the American landscape, from a prodigious new literary talent.

Simon Han was born in Tianjin, China, and raised in various cities in Texas. His short stories and essays have appeared in The Atlantic, The Iowa Review, Guernica, Electric Literature, and The Texas Observer.

Praise for Nights When Nothing Happened

“In this beautiful, unsettling novel, Simon Han captures the state of being awake and yet asleep, of belonging and yet not, of waiting for the moment when the world opens up. He reveals how fragile we are, and what it takes to survive. An unbelievable debut.” –Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here

“Simon Han explores the desire to belong–to a marriage, a family, a community, a country. Nights When Nothing Happened is about how we use words and silences to connect and to wound, and how we make sacrifices for those we love. It broke my heart and gave me hope, all at the same time.” –Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

Absolutely luminous. Han weaves the transience of suburbia between the highs and lows of a family saga, illustrating what a parent owes a child, what a child owes their parents, and what simply cannot be repaid. His novel shocks, awes, and delights.” –Bryan Washington, author of Memorial

“Achingly tender and emotionally devastating. A stunning debut that will stay with me.” –Charles Yu, author of Interior Chinatown

“A tender, spiky family saga about love in all its mysterious incarnations. Simon Han is a wonderfully adventurous and sensitive writer.” –Lorrie Moore, author of A Gate at the Stairs and Birds of America

“A deeply affecting portrait of one family’s immigrant experience—and the toll that the American Dream takes on those who chase it.”—Harpers Bazaar

“Dazzling debut…In this subtle but deeply felt story, Han elegantly takes aim at suburban racism, generational trauma, and the secrets we keep from one another in order to stay afloat.” —Esquire

“In this exemplary debut, Han explores childhood trauma and the impact words and silence can have on both building and harming relationships. He writes with sensitivity and tenderness, allowing his fully fleshed-out characters to take on lives of their own and tell their heartbreaking perspectives directly to readers. Readers will be gripped by this beautiful debut.” —Booklist

 “Han expertly shifts the ground under the narrative, constantly shaking the snow globe to nudge the reader’s perspective away from the familiar. Han’s characters are authentic, vulnerable, and utterly convincing, delivering one dynamite novel. An astutely realized portrait of the collateral damage wrought by the pursuit of the American dream.” —Kirkus, STARRED Review

Details

Date:
December 3, 2020
Time:
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Venue

Magic City Books
221 E. Archer St.
Tulsa, OK 74103 United States