Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series

It’s no surprise that people love short stories. They hold all the elements of a great novel — an intriguing theme, characters that seem to come to life, and storytelling that lingers even after the last page — all packaged in a brief, delightfully readable package. It’s no wonder that award-winning author Don Lee has returned to short stories in his latest book, The Partition, 21 years after his landmark debut collection, Yellow, was published. In The Partition, Lee explored Asian American identity and the estrangement, alienation, and longing for connection that can come with it. Spanning decades, his nine novelistic stories traverse an array of cities from Tokyo to Honolulu to Boston, touching on encounters in local bars, restaurants, and hotels. Lee once said that his 2013 novel, The Collective, is about “sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” all while diving into the minds of relatable characters. The Partition follows a similar vibe. With almost acrobatic storytelling and characters that richly portray the hu