ReviewsOfBooks.com

Your one stop for finding multiple professional reviews of recently released books.

A Person of Interest by Susan Choi

At the center of A Person of Interest is Professor Lee, an Asian émigré teaching mathematics at a Midwestern college. He's an introverted and reclusive man who is mostly ignored by his students and colleagues. He's been jealous of Professor Hendley, whose office is next to his, and whose charisma has made him one of the most popular men on campus. When a letter bomb kills Hendley, Lee's first reaction is satisfaction. Lee's aloofness and unwillingness to attend Hendley's funeral raises suspicions about him and makes him a "person of interest" to the FBI. Lee's life begins to unravel as he remembers his past and the callousness of some of his mistakes while he's being convicted in the court of public opinion. Susan Choi's novel has received positive reviews with the Los Angeles Times saying, "Choi juggles suspense and psychological drama with an acrobatic dexterity, and in Lee she has invented a memorable literary character whose quest for connection and validation shines a light on alienation in the Age of Terror."