“There is so much at play in this wondrous novel. Vi struggling to place herself in any
context that makes sense within the world earnestly leads us into a wild experiment to turn a
blob into the man of her dreams and I was transfixed by her voice. This is a book that looks
at identity and desire in profoundly interesting ways.” — Kevin Wilson bestselling author of
Now Is Not the Time to Panic A humorous and deeply moving debut novel in the vein of Bunny and
Convenience Store Woman about a young woman who tries to shape a sentient blob into her perfect
boyfriend. A New Yorker Best Book of 2025 · Longlisted for the PEN Hemingway Award for Debut
Novel The daughter of a Taiwanese father and white mother Vi Liu has never quite fit into her
Midwestern college town. Aimless after getting dumped by her boyfriend and dropping out of
college Vi works at the front desk of a hotel where she greets guests refills cucumber water
samovars and tries to evade her bubbly blond coworker Rachel. Little does Vi know her life is
about to be permanently transformed when she agrees to a night out with Rachel. In the alley
outside the bar Vi discovers a strange blob—a small living creature with beady black eyes. In
a moment of concern and drunken desperation she takes it home. But the blob is no ordinary
pet. Becoming increasingly sentient it begins to grow shift shape and obey Vi’s commands. As
the entity continues to change Vi is struck with a daring idea: she’ll mold the creature into
her ideal partner. Feeding it a stream of sweet breakfast cereals and American pop culture the
creature grows into a movie-star handsome white man. But when Vi’s desire to be loved
unconditionally threatens to spiral out of control she is forced to confront her lonely
childhood her aloof ex-boyfriend and the racial marginalization that has defined her
relationships—a journey of self-discovery that teaches her it’s impossible to control those you
love. Blending the familiar with the surreal Blob is a witty heartfelt story about the search
for love and self and what it means to be human.
