Emergency Contact (novel)

Emergency Contact is a 2018 young adult novel by Mary H.K. Choi. It is her debut novel and was published on March 27, 2018 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.[3][4][5][6] Emergency Contact is a love story conducted primarily by text message, with Penny, a Korean-American freshman at the University of Texas at Austin,[7] giving Sam her number after she happens to be passing by as Sam has his first panic attack.[8]

Emergency Contact
First edition cover
AuthorMary H.K. Choi
Audio read byJoy Osmanski[1]
Jacques Roy[1]
Cover artistohgigue (illustration)[2]
Lizzy Bromley (design)[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreYoung adult novel
Set inAustin, Texas, U.S.
PublisherSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date
March 27, 2018[3]
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback)
Pages400[3]
ISBN978-1-5344-0896-8 (hardcover)[3]
[Fic]
LC ClassPZ7.1.C5316 Eme 2018

Background edit

Choi described the novel as partly inspired by Judy Blume's novel Forever..., because Blume had "said she just wanted to write a story about 'two people who have sex but then nothing terrible happens'...I love that," Choi told The New York Times.[9]

Publication edit

On October 4, 2017, an excerpt of the novel was published through Entertainment Weekly.[10] Emergency Contact was published in hardcover on March 27, 2018 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.[3] A paperback edition was published on April 9, 2019 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.[11]

The novel debuted at number nine on The New York Times Young Adult Hardcover best-sellers list on April 22, 2018.[12] It peaked at number eight on the list on May 6, 2018.[13] It spent four weeks on the list.[14]

Reception edit

Kirkus Reviews criticized the novel's character development as well as its "absence of emotional depth or well-crafted prose."[7]

Publishers Weekly praised Choi's "sharp wit and skillful character development."[15]

Writing for Entertainment Weekly, David Canfield wrote that the novel "vividly realizes Korean-American culture and explores microaggressions on a sharply recognizable level" and wrote that the young adult "frame doesn't push the more challenging material to the margins, but rather renders it naturalistically potent."[16]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Emergency Contact Audiobook by Mary H. K. Choi, read by Joy Osmanski and Jacques Roy". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  3. ^ Tiffany, Kaitlyn (February 28, 2018). "Emergency Contact is a dreamy YA love story told through texts". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Franklin, MJ (March 27, 2018). "'Emergency Contact' is a YA novel about falling in love in the age of texting". Mashable. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Paxson, Caitlyn (March 29, 2018). "Stumbling (And Texting) Toward Love In 'Emergency Contact'". NPR. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi". Kirkus Reviews. January 22, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Beck, Julie (March 27, 2018). "How to Fall in Love Over Text". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Ma, Tracy; Nikas, Joanna (2018-04-03). "Mary H.K. Choi Wanted to Write a Book in Which 'High-Key Nothing Happens'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2018-04-08. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
  9. ^ Canfield, David (October 4, 2017). "Vice reporter Mary H.K. Choi previews debut novel Emergency Contact — see an exclusive excerpt and cover". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  10. ^ "Emergency Contact by Mary H. K. Choi". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  11. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover - Best Sellers". The New York Times. April 22, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  12. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover - Best Sellers". The New York Times. May 6, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  13. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover - Best Sellers". The New York Times. May 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  14. ^ "Children's Book Review: Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi". Publishers Weekly. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  15. ^ Canfield, David (April 9, 2018). "Why the new wave of East Asian authors is targeting YA". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.