Author Talk! Gigi L. Leung: Everyday Movement w/ Kevin Nguyen

www.yellowperilbooks.com

Book Description"A powerful novel set in a Hong Kong that feels remarkably universal." —Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West"A dazzling, page-turning novel...Gripping, specific, important, and highly satisfying.” —Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot and Either/OrA powerful, award-winning novel that follows the lives of two women as democracy starts to crumble in Hong KongOn a weekend morning, college roommates Ah Lei and Panda wake up with very different reactions to the night before. They have been chased and tear-gassed in the streets of their city after joining tens of thousands of others to protest a national security law that would effectively spell the end of democracy in Hong Kong. Ah Lei can’t get out of bed, her heart heavy with the lingering images of the police and the violence on the streets, and her worries about the future of her hometown. Panda, whose resistance is no less ardent, puts on a sundress, lines her eyes, and urges Ah Lei to join her for brunch.While the demonstrations rage, the routine of life also persists for Ah Lei, Panda, and people in their orbits. They attend family gatherings, fight with their mothers, try and fail to focus at work on Mondays, and make time for dinner dates and app hookups. But the looming political tension and anxiety for the future transform such everyday encounters. In the span of a few months, life as they know it seems to become a mirage: the comfort of air-conditioned shopping malls is disrupted by bloodshed; tear gas and the sounds of rubber bullets amid neon signs strangely evoke happier memories of summer night fireworks.Gigi L. Leung’s visceral novel Everyday Movement reveals existential questions that interrupt normal life: belonging, patriotism, and the meaningfulness of an electoral democracy, as well as the pampering sense of normalcy created by consumerism. Fiery and tender, Leung’s writing captures the heartbreak, turmoil, and rebirth in bearing witness to and engaging with a shattering reality. About the AuthorGigi L. Leung is a writer of fiction and poetry. Her work was a finalist for the Taipei Literary Award and won a Golden Tripod Award in 2024. She grew up in Hong Kong and lives in Taipei. About the TranslatorJennifer Feeley translates the cult favorite Hong Kong writer Xi Xi, for which she won the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize and a Hong Kong Publishing Biennial Award. She was a National Endowment for the Arts fellow in 2019.

We're so excited to welcome Gigi L. Leung and Kevin Nguyen to discuss Gigi's novel Everyday Movement! The conversation is being generously hosted by HOM Cafe & Wine in Prospect Heights (72 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217).

About this Event:

We're so excited to welcome you to this upcoming author talk!

• Each ticket will include either a copy of the featured book or a $10 Yellow Peril Books Gift Card. Each ticket also includes a beverage provided by our host, HOM Cafe & Wine. Additional beverages and food will be available for purchase at the event.

• A book signing will follow the conversation.

• Additional copies of Everyday Movement will be available for purchase at the event.

• Doors open at 6:30pm, programming will begin at 7:00pm

• Community Guidelines and Rules

  • You commit to treating everyone with respect and care

  • Stay home if you feel sick!

If you would like to attend but the ticket cost is prohibitive, please reach out to contact@yellowperilbooks.com and we will try to find a solution! We never want lack of funds to be a barrier to entry.

About Everyday Movement

"A powerful novel set in a Hong Kong that feels remarkably universal." —Mohsin Hamid, author of Exit West

"A dazzling, page-turning novel...Gripping, specific, important, and highly satisfying.” —Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot and Either/Or

A powerful, award-winning novel that follows the lives of two women as democracy starts to crumble in Hong Kong

On a weekend morning, college roommates Ah Lei and Panda wake up with very different reactions to the night before. They have been chased and tear-gassed in the streets of their city after joining tens of thousands of others to protest a national security law that would effectively spell the end of democracy in Hong Kong. Ah Lei can’t get out of bed, her heart heavy with the lingering images of the police and the violence on the streets, and her worries about the future of her hometown. Panda, whose resistance is no less ardent, puts on a sundress, lines her eyes, and urges Ah Lei to join her for brunch.

While the demonstrations rage, the routine of life also persists for Ah Lei, Panda, and people in their orbits. They attend family gatherings, fight with their mothers, try and fail to focus at work on Mondays, and make time for dinner dates and app hookups. But the looming political tension and anxiety for the future transform such everyday encounters. In the span of a few months, life as they know it seems to become a mirage: the comfort of air-conditioned shopping malls is disrupted by bloodshed; tear gas and the sounds of rubber bullets amid neon signs strangely evoke happier memories of summer night fireworks.

Gigi L. Leung’s visceral novel Everyday Movement reveals existential questions that interrupt normal life: belonging, patriotism, and the meaningfulness of an electoral democracy, as well as the pampering sense of normalcy created by consumerism. Fiery and tender, Leung’s writing captures the heartbreak, turmoil, and rebirth in bearing witness to and engaging with a shattering reality.

About the Author and Moderator

Gigi L. Leung is a writer of fiction and poetry. Her work was a finalist for the Taipei Literary Award and won a Golden Tripod Award in 2024. She grew up in Hong Kong and lives in Taipei.

Kevin Nguyen is the author of the novels New Waves (2020) and Mỹ Documents (2025), a best book of 2025 according to The New Yorker, Esquire, and Time magazine. He is a features editor at The Verge.

Refunds and Exchanges

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