Others Were Emeralds

A Novel

By: Lang Leav

Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

“Others Were Emeralds kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. With lyrical and moving prose, Lang tells a stunning tale of love, loss, and the true power of friendship. A deep, beautiful novel." — Etaf Rum, New York Times bestselling author of A Woman is No Man

Internationally acclaimed poet Lang Leav’s debut adult novel combines her poetical lyricism and emotional acumen to create an enthralling coming of age narrative set against the backdrop of anti-Asian sentiment sweeping Australia in the late 90’s. A stirring portrayal of guilt, loss, and memory, Others Were Emeralds explores the inherent danger of allowing our misconceptions to shape our reality.

What comes first, the photograph or the memory?

The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Ai grew up in the small Australian town of Whitlam populated by Asian immigrants who once fled war-torn countries to rebuild their shattered lives. It is now the late '90s and despite their parents' harrowing past, Ai and her tightknit group of school friends: charismatic Brigitte, sweet, endearing Bowie, shy, inscrutable Tin, and politically minded Sying, lead seemingly ordinary lives, far removed from the unimaginable horrors suffered by their parents.

But that carefree innocence is shattered in their last year of school when Ai and her friends encounter a pair of racist men whose cruel acts of intimidation spiral into senseless violence. Grappling with the magnitude of her grief at such a young age, Ai leaves Whitlam for college before her trauma has a chance to fully resolve.

In her second year of college Ai suffers a mental health crisis, driving her back home to Whitlam, a place she swore never to return. There, she reconnects with those she left behind and together they are compelled to look back on the tragedy that shaped their adolescence and examine the role they may have unwittingly played.

©2023 Lang Leav (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Spectacular writing, moving narration, a perfect coming-of-age novel

The prose and the character development both blew me away in this gem of a novel. This story made me gasp and cry, and made me feel so deeply. The narration was impeccable and brought even more emotion to the story. Ai and her journey to figure out who she is and where she fits are both so messy, and relatable, and moving. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!

Deliberate and poignant

I wanted to read a story about Asian racism and this novel popped up, with its good reviews. I live in the middle of the US and am fortunate to have Asian friends, without witnessing direct prejudice— though my son’s girlfriend in California has experienced it. I felt a need to understand her situation.

I was astonished and saddened to discover similar prejudices take place in Australia, a country I believed better in regard to racism. This alone educated me.

Lang Leav’s story began with deliberate care, supported by a well paced narration by Shiromi Arserio.

I existed an arm’s length from intimacy, though the author wrote the story in first person, “I.” I felt distanced from the protagonist, as if even her thoughts to herself were censored. As if this story was a developing roll of film, not a heart-infused life.

I observed what was happening in her world and wondered why Ai, this teenaged girl, could not see or hear what was obvious in front of her, but rather, listened to bits of information dissected inside her brain.

Ai had zero trust. I wondered if this was a consequence of her insecurities as a normal teenage woman or whether it was due to her family’s singular Asian descent and especially their former Cambodian refugee status.

I became invested in her group’s artistic talents. I longed to see the positive and negative spaces in her projects, beyond verbal descriptions. I was very invested in all the group’s artistic productions, including the controversial exhibition.

The character I experienced most, fleshed out in 3-D, was Tin, followed by his sister to a lesser degree. I am unclear why this is so, but suspect this reveals AI’s mind all along.

I feel as if this is a very deliberate Telling, with manipulations directing readers in the author’s intended direction. I believe the narrative left me with a depth of experience that did expand my perspective.