KOREAM JOURNAL

A. CHOICE IS BACK

Leonard Chang's Underkill

Review by Charse Yun

When you compare novelist Leonard Chang to other Korean American writers, you can't help but notice the consistency of his output. While other KA writers have just finished their sophomore efforts, it's no surprise to see that Chang has outpaced them all and already pumped out his fourth novel, Underkill (Thomas Dunne Books 2003). What is surprising about this latest work is that Chang has written a true sequel in every sense of the word: Underneath the Underkill title is the subtitle, "An Allen Choice novel."

That's right, Allen Choice is back. Chang first introduced us to this security protection expert in 2001 with Over the Shoulder. Employing an unconventional take on a conventional format, Over the Shoulder was a noir thriller that had KA protagonist Allen Choice exploring a family mystery tied to his father's death. Combining a serious literary novel with crime fiction, Chang blended suspense and family tension into an exciting hybrid.

In Underkill, we find Allen where Over the Shoulder left off. It has been two years since that last case, and he is beleaguered by his failing relationship with his partner, Linda Maldonado, and yearning for stability as he struggles with the process of becoming a private investigator. The dramatic events of the previous novel are referred to as "the Mess," and Chang skillfully drops hints and nods towards that work throughout Underkill for the enjoyment of loyal readers. Introspective as always, Choice continues to ponder his world with invented philosophical terms such as dis-ease, engagement, and inertial deception.

The beauty of the crime fiction format is that each novel in a series is its own self-contained unit, and those unfamiliar with Over the Shoulder can enjoy Underkill without having read his earlier work. This time around, Linda tells Allen about her brother's death in a fiery car crash in Los Angeles. As their relationship painfully disintegrates, Allen agrees to help Linda investigate the seedier aspects of her brother's life, including drug dealing, Internet porn, Ecstasy pills and rave parties.

In Underkill, Chang also continues the subtle and complex motifs of ethnicity, sex and transgression in a deft, stylish manner by introducing Serena Yew, an appealing, young KA woman who guides Allen into the underworld of L.A. raves. As an undeniable mutual attraction between the pair grows, Allen is forced to question his complicated loyalty to Linda.

There is much to praise about this novel: the gripping action scenes, the swift and sure prose ("Glass pebbles danced onto the blacktop"), the precise details of Chang's descriptions. But in the end, it is Allen Choice who makes Underkill such an enjoyable read. Drawing sympathetic, engaging characters without shying away from the weighty realism of relationships, Chang introduces another dimension to Allen by probing his faltering love life and his desperate attempts to rescue it. Chang hits the target with just the right mix of masculinity and honest vulnerability (as well as enough scenes in which Allen kicks ass) to keep him well away from wimp status.

Without Allen Choice, Underkill would still be an enjoyable read, a deliciously satisfying fast-paced suspense thriller that might invoke a guilty pleasure for readers more accustomed to "serious" literature. But with the psychological depth and realism imbued in Allen, we have a second-generation KA male protagonist we actually care about and root for. And where strong second-generation male characters are few and far between in KA fiction, Allen is a refreshing departure that makes the literary trip all the more satisfying and worthwhile.

With Underkill, one has the sense that Chang is comfortably at home in exploring the darker, more complicated themes where others fear to tread. By the end, the novel leaves us hungry for more. Fortunately for us, the nature of the genre leaves open the possibility for the hero to return and embark upon a new series of adventures. Let's hope that Chang continues to churn out the novels at the same prolific rate so that there will be more Choice to choose from in the future.

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KoreAm Journal
September 2003 / Vol 14 / Number 9