Teenreads.com -- THE FOLD by An Na

Thanks to the widespread availability and high publicity of plastic surgery, most of us are aware of a lot of plastic surgery procedures, from facelifts and liposuction to breast augmentation or reduction. But chances are, unless you're a young woman of Asian descent, you've probably never heard of the procedure at the center of award-winning author An Na's latest young adult novel, THE FOLD.

Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, is used by lots of older women to change the appearance of the skin around their eyes. In the Asian-American community, however, the increasingly popular procedure is used to add a Caucasian-style upper eyelid crease, making the eyes look larger or more American.

That's the argument Joyce's aunt Gomo uses when she offers to pay for the surgery during the summer before Joyce's senior year in high school. Gomo, who had blepharoplasty years before, when she first arrived in the United States from Korea, says, "Here, in the United States, everyone wants to look more American. Even the Americans want to look more American. Why do you think there are so many women who diet, change their hair color and make their noses smaller and their chest bigger?" This is just one of the many questions Joyce has to consider as she weighs the pros and cons of the procedure for her own life.

At first, when Gomo, who has recently won some money in the lottery, offers each member of Joyce's family some kind of "self-improvement" product, they're all overjoyed for the chance to see a better version of themselves. Joyce, in particular, is convinced that a more "American" face might be exactly what she needs to attract the attention of her crush, John Ford Kang, a Korean boy who typically only dates blonde Caucasian girls. It might also be just the change she needs to finally be as beautiful as her popular older sister Helen.

But when each of the so-called improvements actually causes misery (Joyce's mom is allergic to the ink in her permanent eyebrow tattoo, Joyce’s dad sprains his ankle while trying to walk in his new elevator shoes, and Joyce’s younger brother suffers some truly disgusting side effects from his growth-inducing nutritional supplements), Joyce begins to have her doubts about the wisdom of changing oneself. And when her enthusiasm over the eyelid surgery begins to cause stress in her relationship with her best friend Gina, she's really not so sure Gomo's gift is such a blessing after all.

Although An Na's novel highlights a serious issue in the Asian-American community, she introduces it in a thoughtful but lighthearted way. Joyce's friendship with Gina and her relationship with her sister Helen are at the heart of the story, but scenes at the family's Korean restaurant and the Korean church also provide a lively look into their busy family life and their cultural heritage.

An Na also effectively universalizes the themes at the heart of her novel by placing this specific procedure within the larger context of a discussion about the appropriateness and effectiveness of all kinds of image-enhancing techniques, from braces and diets to hair dye and cosmetics. THE FOLD will certainly contribute to self-reflection, and hopefully discussion, about these issues among all kinds of readers.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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