Books
King of the Armadillos
BEST BOOK OF SUMMER 2023: The Boston Globe, Deep South Magazine, Ms. Magazine, BookRiot
"Brilliant, absorbing, and powerfully moving." —Cheryl Strayed, New York Times bestselling author of Wild
“A gripping and tenderly executed drama. A lambent and poignant debut." —The New York Times
A novel about family, love, and belonging, set against the backdrops of 1950s New York City and Louisiana, following one young man’s quest to survive an often misunderstood disease, and find love, music, and himself, in the process.
Victor Chin’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of 15. Diagnosed with Hansen’s disease, otherwise known as leprosy, he’s forced to leave the familiar confines of his father’s laundry business in the Bronx – the only home he’s known since emigrating from China with his older brother – to quarantine alongside patients from all over the country at a federal institution in Carville.
At first, Victor is scared not only of the disease, but of the confinement, and wants nothing more than to flee. Between treatments he dreams of escape and imagines his life as a fugitive. But soon he finds a new sense of freedom far from home – one without the pull of obligations to his family, the laundry business, or his mother back in China. Here, in the company of an unforgettable cast of characters, Victor finds refuge in music and experiences first love, jealousy, betrayal, and even tragedy. But with the promise of a life-changing cure on the horizon, Victor’s time at Carville is running out, and he has some difficult choices to make.
A page turning work of historical fiction, King of the Armadillos announces Wendy Chin-Tanner as an extraordinary new voice. Inspired by her father’s experience as a young patient at Carville, this tender novel is a captivating and lyrical exploration of the power of art.
Published by Flatiron Books, an imprint of MacMillan Publishers.
Additional formats:
• e-Book
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ESSAYS
The Burden of Truth: Fictionalizing My Father’s Years at a Federal Leprosy Treatment Center
My father's bittersweet homecoming: A family visit to the institution that treated him for leprosy
My father's bittersweet homecoming: A family visit to the institution that treated him for leprosy
Literary Hub: Wendy Chin-Tanner on the Dual Gaze Required to Write a Novel Inspired by True Events
My father's bittersweet homecoming: A family visit to the institution that treated him for leprosy
My father's bittersweet homecoming: A family visit to the institution that treated him for leprosy
My father's bittersweet homecoming: A family visit to the institution that treated him for leprosy
Salon: Carville looked more like a prep school than a leprosarium — but it was surrounded by a barbed wire fence
PRAISE
"Wendy Chin-Tanner’s King of the Armadillos is both a moving coming-of-age story and a fiercely intelligent love letter to the author’s father. It is beautifully written and entertaining, but doesn’t shy away from questions of race, class, and belonging. A fantastic debut."
—Cari Luna, author of The Revolution of Every Day
"King of the Armadillos pulses with the miraculous: the power of art and heart to heal a body from the inside-out. Excavating a history that comes at an important moment in the present tense, the novel asks: how do we want to treat each other in the face of dangerous tensions around otherness and illness? Wendy Chin-Tanner answers with her art. A triumph."
—Lidia Yuknavitch, bestselling and acclaimed author of The Book of Joan
"This remarkable, brilliant book shows us the power of exile—and the dreams of freedom. Wendy Chin-Tanner pulls back the veil on a federal leprosarium in the 1950s, with a rich cast of characters who find refuge in art and love. Inspired by her own family history, it rings with authenticity and delight, finding great joy even in sorrow. An absolute treasure of a book."
— Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of The Child Finder
"A beautifully written story of a young man struggling with Hansen’s disease that captures both the tragedy and triumph of Carville."
—Pam Fessler, author of Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice
“I’ve never experienced a debut novel like this - engrossing, loaded with emotion, introducing unforgettable characters, and crafted with the touch and confident style of a savvy veteran. KING OF THE ARMADILLOS is a mesmerizing work of historical fiction that serves as a perfect launching pad for what’s sure to be a long and storied career for Wendy Chin-Tanner.”
—Alex Segura, bestselling and acclaimed author of Secret Identity
"Victor Chin will take you back in time to the 1950s to live with him at Carville, an institution that houses those with Hanson’s disease, better known as leprosy. Only 15 years old and contending with a more than complicated family situation, Victor now has to deal with a rare medical condition—alongside the racism he’s dealt with his entire life. A heartbreaking, compelling novel."
—Erika T. Wurth, author of White Horse