Casey Han is in pursuit of the American Dream --- almost. She
loves both money and prestige but is unable to think of a rewarding
way to earn either one. She defies the wishes of her working-class
parents by deferring her acceptance to law school. The owner of the
department store where Casey works can't understand why she won't
let her pay for business school. Casey herself doesn't know why she
can't keep selling hats behind a counter --- until she maxes out
her credit cards on thousand-dollar suits.

The plot of FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES is reminiscent of Theodore
Dreiser's SISTER CARRIE when it reads, "Feeling poorer than she'd
ever felt, she craved every bit of luxury and feared never having
any more, and what made it worse was that she was ashamed of
wanting it so much, to consume it, to incorporate it somehow into
her body. She didn't want to feel poor anymore." In this modern-day
novel, however, the Korean-American protagonist lives in New York
City and keeps a copy of SISTER CARRIE by her bedside. Casey lives
with boyfriends but is not a kept woman. She is a rags-to-riches
hopeful, trying to earn her way to something meaningful without
being dependent upon anyone. 

Casey's life takes center stage in this novel, but her story is not
the only one that's told. Friends and family members are also
portrayed in these pages --- not simply through Casey's eyes, but
through the eyes of an omniscient narrator. Min Jin Lee gets into
the heads of a dry cleaner operator and a Julliard alumnus, an
aging bookstore owner and a stockbroker on Wall Street. The author
changes hats so effortlessly and frequently that we are able to
know all sides of each story as it is told, often agreeing with the
opinion of one character until that of their antagonist is
revealed.

It is obvious from FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES that Lee doesn't
believe in black and white definitions of good and bad, moral and
immoral. Her characters are one big jumble of mixed-up desires,
often finding relief in unconventional love affairs. Girlfriends
leave boyfriends, husbands leave wives, and friendships emerge from
unexpected places. Casey is the link to all of these storylines,
floating between them as an ungrounded observer. She believes
herself unworthy of being any type of heroine to those in her
circle, yet her genuine involvement in their lives helps shape
their individual futures.

It is this feeling of unworthiness mixed with a strong will that
makes Casey Han such a lovable character. We're reading about a
flawed girl who doesn't have all the answers, but who nevertheless
forges ahead in her crazy hats and pack-a-day habit. She pursues
and retreats both in career and love --- sometimes winning,
sometimes striking out. But when she does come up empty, she picks
herself back up again, and --- almost in spite of herself --- her
story goes on.

FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES is about the fine line between sacrifice
and exploitation, and finding fulfillment in a dubious world. The
characters wrestle with conflicting emotions inside their own souls
and decide which one will lead them to happiness. Sometimes the
path is long and winding, but in the end it's worth every
page.