Harmless Like You Summary
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

Harmless Like You Overview

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's Harmless Like Me is a moving literary novel about Yuki and Jay, an estranged mother and son who reunite 25 years after Yuki abandoned her family. Through shifts in point-of-view, the novel traces Yuki's journey from an artistic young woman yearning after a normal American upbringing, through a series of mistakes and self-sabotaging decisions, until she finds herself trapped in a Connecticut suburb married to a man she does not love. Meanwhile, in the present tense timeline, Jay is struggling to bond with his infant daughter because he fears that he will abandon his family just like his mother did. When his father dies, and he must meet with his mother to discuss the estate, Jay is offered an opportunity for enlightenment and closure. This novel centers around themes such as cultural identity, inheritance, ambition, and judgment.