What do you think?
Rate this book
Pick a Color
Not yet published
Expected 30 Sep 25From Giller Prize and O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labor, and class, an intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don't even know her true name.
â€Àá live in a world of Susans. I got name tags for everyone who works at this nail salon, and on every one is printed the name Ìý "Susan."
Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer's day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.
As the day's work grinds on, the friction between Ning's two identities—as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances—will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.
Told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit,ÌýPick a ColorÌýconfirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms.
â€Àá live in a world of Susans. I got name tags for everyone who works at this nail salon, and on every one is printed the name Ìý "Susan."
Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer's day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.
As the day's work grinds on, the friction between Ning's two identities—as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances—will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.
Told over a single day with razor-sharp precision and wit,ÌýPick a ColorÌýconfirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms.
- GenresFiction
208 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 30, 2025
6 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Souvankham Thammavongsa
16Ìýbooks419ÌýfollowersSouvankham Thammavongsa is the author of four poetry books, and the short story collection HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE, won the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize and and was New York Times Editors' Choice, out now with McClelland & Stewart (Canada), Little, Brown (U.S.), and Bloomsbury (U.K.). Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared in Harper's Magazine, The Paris Review, The Atlantic, Granta, NOON, Journey Prize Stories 2016, Best American Nonrequired Reading 2018, and O. Henry Prize Stories 2019. She was born in the Lao refugee camp in Nong Khai, Thailand, and was raised and educated in Toronto where she now lives.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 6, 2025
I really enjoyed how this book was contained in one setting (the nail shop) with limited little calls to memories and experience outside of the shop. The interior world of the main character is interesting and complex, yet I love how simplistic and clear the prose is.
I felt immersed in the world of the nail shop, their interactions in another language, the sameness that is expected of The Susan’s and how these prototype visuals feed into the expectations that people might have of immigrants working in the service industry..
This book was highly observed and very compelling.. I wanted to read more depth other characters and especially the relationship with the other salon, I felt that could’ve been developed more. It. Says a lot that I was sad to get to the end of this book, I would’ve loved a few more chapters.
N.B this book was kindly provided as an advanced copy from Netgalley
I felt immersed in the world of the nail shop, their interactions in another language, the sameness that is expected of The Susan’s and how these prototype visuals feed into the expectations that people might have of immigrants working in the service industry..
This book was highly observed and very compelling.. I wanted to read more depth other characters and especially the relationship with the other salon, I felt that could’ve been developed more. It. Says a lot that I was sad to get to the end of this book, I would’ve loved a few more chapters.
N.B this book was kindly provided as an advanced copy from Netgalley
April 19, 2025
"Pick a Colour" by Souvankham Thammavongsa is coming this September from @littlebrown , thanks to them and @netgallery for the advanced copy! Also I love this cover. I really enjoyed "How To Pronounce Knife" her first collection of stories, winner of the 2020 Giller Prize and bought myself a copy after reading it from the library. Powerful stories about immigration that pack a punch. In this, her new novel, Thammavongsa tackles one long day at a nail salon, through the salon owner's eyes. As her and her "girls" go about their days, nicknaming their clients who barely see them, as they scrub at their feet, gossiping in their language, all responding to "Susan", we silently observe, uncomfortable in the shadows. I found this book incredibly moving and sharp and observant and serious and sometimes even funny. Our narrator looks back at her life with a distance and acceptance rarely seen. The sparseness speaks for itself. A haunting read about the people we might try not to see, who we might try not to notice, but who are certainly there. And they see everything. For all of us in Canada, who have visited a nail salon somewhere, this is a very good read from a different perspective.
April 19, 2025
Before I launch into my review, I would like to say a huge thank you to Souvankham Thammavongsa, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, and Netgalley for the Advanced Digital Reader Copy of this title. For anyone with their eye on this title, here is my personal review of the book to help you decide whether you are interested or not. All opinions offered are my own.
I kid you not, I was sucked into this story from the start. The story begins with the narrator making some bold, audacious claims about how ugly people are, then goes on to explain why, whilst weaving in features of their own character. We learn that this is the salon worker, Ning, referred to in the blurb, who remains nameless until 50% of the way through the book.
Pick a Colour is a story that takes place over a single day, a single shift, in fact. In this witty novella, Ning, a retired boxer struggles with her competing identities. Externally, she is just another salon worker buffing nails, and waxing brows, albeit she owns her store. Internally, Ning dreams of more. On the one hand, she longs to be recognized in her own right by the privileged customers she serves and those who she has forgotten or been forgotten by since she moved on. On the other hand, Ning values routine and living in her own bubble. What this equates to is a book about desires and regrets.
The author selects an interesting style with which to tell this story. I was unable to put the book down, reading it in a single session, because it is written in such a way where the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. I joined Ning as she dealt with regulars and walk-ins. I was made privy to the conversations she unwittingly had with clients she cared almost nothing for. I also enjoyed being party to the inner circle of the four current Susans as they were designed by Ning to blend in, as per societal expectations.
Through one person’s eyes, the reader experiences the subtleties of racism/racial biases and being overlooked when one has outlived their purpose as perceived by the salon workers. Ideas surrounding marriage, mistresses, and miscarriages feature heavily in the commentary clients relay to the Susans by way of achieving therapeutic release. It turned the whole experience of attending a nail salon on its head that begs for a change in client behavior when they turn up for beauty treatments. The story is as much about them as it is against Ning who compares her current life to her former life, noting that there is always a fight or a struggle.
Full of wit and truths, this book is a 5 out of 5 for people that are looking for a realistic view of life.
I kid you not, I was sucked into this story from the start. The story begins with the narrator making some bold, audacious claims about how ugly people are, then goes on to explain why, whilst weaving in features of their own character. We learn that this is the salon worker, Ning, referred to in the blurb, who remains nameless until 50% of the way through the book.
Pick a Colour is a story that takes place over a single day, a single shift, in fact. In this witty novella, Ning, a retired boxer struggles with her competing identities. Externally, she is just another salon worker buffing nails, and waxing brows, albeit she owns her store. Internally, Ning dreams of more. On the one hand, she longs to be recognized in her own right by the privileged customers she serves and those who she has forgotten or been forgotten by since she moved on. On the other hand, Ning values routine and living in her own bubble. What this equates to is a book about desires and regrets.
The author selects an interesting style with which to tell this story. I was unable to put the book down, reading it in a single session, because it is written in such a way where the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. I joined Ning as she dealt with regulars and walk-ins. I was made privy to the conversations she unwittingly had with clients she cared almost nothing for. I also enjoyed being party to the inner circle of the four current Susans as they were designed by Ning to blend in, as per societal expectations.
Through one person’s eyes, the reader experiences the subtleties of racism/racial biases and being overlooked when one has outlived their purpose as perceived by the salon workers. Ideas surrounding marriage, mistresses, and miscarriages feature heavily in the commentary clients relay to the Susans by way of achieving therapeutic release. It turned the whole experience of attending a nail salon on its head that begs for a change in client behavior when they turn up for beauty treatments. The story is as much about them as it is against Ning who compares her current life to her former life, noting that there is always a fight or a struggle.
Full of wit and truths, this book is a 5 out of 5 for people that are looking for a realistic view of life.
April 20, 2025
This was very entertaining and fun to read. It was a slice of life book written in first person present that takes place entirely within one day in a nail salon. There wasn’t really a plot, you just follow the salon owner in her day, her interactions with customers and employees, and her daydreaming about her past.
I have to confess I did not like Ning very much. I’m not sure if she’s intended to be a likeable character or not, but she reminded me a lot of my old dance teacher who I don’t think fondly of. Her hyper controlling of her employees (to the extent of cutting an employee’s hair herself before the employee was allowed to work) and condescending manner with customers was very off putting to me. It was interesting to see the way the customers treated her, and how she responded to that by being so awful to them when they couldn’t understand her. There was a very strong message of “us vs. them� and I wonder how much of that was truly due to racism and classism and how much of it was self imposed.
There were a few moments where Ning really shone as a character, like when she tried to save the pigeon, and when she helped the girl with a flat tire. I felt for her in her struggle with caring about her employees but not feeling like she was able to let them get close to her.
Overall, I felt like I was really living a day inside of Ning’s head, and it didn’t feel like somewhere I wanted to stay, but I felt like I understood her more as a person by the end of it, and I dislike her but I also have compassion for her. I appreciate the complexity. This book made me feel.
I have to confess I did not like Ning very much. I’m not sure if she’s intended to be a likeable character or not, but she reminded me a lot of my old dance teacher who I don’t think fondly of. Her hyper controlling of her employees (to the extent of cutting an employee’s hair herself before the employee was allowed to work) and condescending manner with customers was very off putting to me. It was interesting to see the way the customers treated her, and how she responded to that by being so awful to them when they couldn’t understand her. There was a very strong message of “us vs. them� and I wonder how much of that was truly due to racism and classism and how much of it was self imposed.
There were a few moments where Ning really shone as a character, like when she tried to save the pigeon, and when she helped the girl with a flat tire. I felt for her in her struggle with caring about her employees but not feeling like she was able to let them get close to her.
Overall, I felt like I was really living a day inside of Ning’s head, and it didn’t feel like somewhere I wanted to stay, but I felt like I understood her more as a person by the end of it, and I dislike her but I also have compassion for her. I appreciate the complexity. This book made me feel.
April 29, 2025
"Pick a Colour" by Souvankham Thammavongsa is a brief yet captivating story that delves into the dynamics of gender, race, and class/labour as experienced by the main character, her employees, and the customers they engage with.
Ning, our female main character, is a former boxer who has left the boxing world and now runs her own nail salon. While the story lacks a traditional plot, it chronicles Ning's day from the opening of the salon through to its closing.
She operates the salon with a neat and organized routine, where she and her employees all refer to themselves as Susan, wear identical clothing, have the same haircut, and offer only basic salon services at cheap prices while insulting their indifferent white customers in their native language.
Ning operates a highly micromanaged ship where they lean into the invisible role immigrant workers have in industries like salons.
However, as the story progresses, we see Ning struggle with the need to be seen by her customers and colleagues, and despite appearing cold and uncaring, she genuinely cares about her workers. She worries about them to the extent that she cannot bring herself to fire one of them for not showing up after receiving their pay in advance.
Overall, it is a very interesting read with a compelling premise.
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
Ning, our female main character, is a former boxer who has left the boxing world and now runs her own nail salon. While the story lacks a traditional plot, it chronicles Ning's day from the opening of the salon through to its closing.
She operates the salon with a neat and organized routine, where she and her employees all refer to themselves as Susan, wear identical clothing, have the same haircut, and offer only basic salon services at cheap prices while insulting their indifferent white customers in their native language.
Ning operates a highly micromanaged ship where they lean into the invisible role immigrant workers have in industries like salons.
However, as the story progresses, we see Ning struggle with the need to be seen by her customers and colleagues, and despite appearing cold and uncaring, she genuinely cares about her workers. She worries about them to the extent that she cannot bring herself to fire one of them for not showing up after receiving their pay in advance.
Overall, it is a very interesting read with a compelling premise.
[This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion]
May 3, 2025
Thammavongsa's How to Pronounce Knife is one of my all time favorite short story collections, so I dropped everything when I got approved for her novel. It lived up to the hype! Thammavongsa has such a gift for creating complex interior worlds, and for saying so much with so little.
Our protagonist, Ning, has a lot of trauma, and we never fully understand why, beyond that she used to be a boxer and her coach greatly impacted how she sees the world. There is more to the story (as there always is in life), and we never see why, but that just makes it feel more real.
The discussion of classism, racism, and privilege is so well done without being heavy-handed- especially the fact they have to tell customers to "pick a color" twice, because they never hear them the first time, no matter how loud they are. While Ning and her team of "Susans" (another clever critique of white supremacy) gossip about all their customers, the customers don't make it easy for the reader to sympathize with them.
This is a slim slice of life over one day, but it's impactful and draws you into a very real world. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Little Brown for the eARC!
Our protagonist, Ning, has a lot of trauma, and we never fully understand why, beyond that she used to be a boxer and her coach greatly impacted how she sees the world. There is more to the story (as there always is in life), and we never see why, but that just makes it feel more real.
The discussion of classism, racism, and privilege is so well done without being heavy-handed- especially the fact they have to tell customers to "pick a color" twice, because they never hear them the first time, no matter how loud they are. While Ning and her team of "Susans" (another clever critique of white supremacy) gossip about all their customers, the customers don't make it easy for the reader to sympathize with them.
This is a slim slice of life over one day, but it's impactful and draws you into a very real world. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Little Brown for the eARC!
April 18, 2025
This book is a short but interesting insight into the mind of an immigrant nail technician . The writing is compelling and flows easily despite the fact that nothing really happens.
The first part of the book had a lot of potential, it kept me wanting to read on to find out more about Ning’s past life as a boxer, the lives of the other Susans and the conflict with the other nail salon. However, I soon became a little bored when it became clear that the story wasn’t going to go anywhere and so much was going to be left unsaid.
I can appreciate that the point of the story was to give an accurate portrayal of loneliness and class but I was left a little disappointed. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the book was either a little shorter or much longer.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance download of this book.
The first part of the book had a lot of potential, it kept me wanting to read on to find out more about Ning’s past life as a boxer, the lives of the other Susans and the conflict with the other nail salon. However, I soon became a little bored when it became clear that the story wasn’t going to go anywhere and so much was going to be left unsaid.
I can appreciate that the point of the story was to give an accurate portrayal of loneliness and class but I was left a little disappointed. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the book was either a little shorter or much longer.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance download of this book.
May 5, 2025
This book is like listening to someone's inner monologue in the best way possible. I loved this story from the first to the last page. I liked how this story takes place all in one day and we get to see another side of the nail salon industry. Ning is an interesting character who is more than meets the eye. Next time I go to a nail salon, I'll definitely be thinking about this book! This was the perfect little slice of life story that can be read in one sitting and have you wishing you could witness what will happen the next day and who else may come into the salon.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 2, 2025
Even if her customers think of her as yet another "Susan", one of an interchangeable group of women working at a nail salon, Ning is in fact a former boxer with a sharp brain - and the analytical skills to recognise the absurdity of her situation.
The book takes a scathing look at the stereotypes and contradictions of the lived immigrant experience, condensing its insights into story told over the course of the single day. Worth a read, it gets an easy 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
The book takes a scathing look at the stereotypes and contradictions of the lived immigrant experience, condensing its insights into story told over the course of the single day. Worth a read, it gets an easy 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
March 28, 2025
A short but interesting and well written story, with commentary on class, labour and gender. While nothing actually happened, I really enjoyed the focus on the women (the Susans), their work life and relationships with each other. This was like being a fly on the wall with dedicated insight into Ning’s life. A great character study of a book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #PickAColor #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #PickAColor #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
March 29, 2025
I am intrigued by this book. Seeing nail tech in such a poetic and creatively written way—I love it. There’s so much to learn, even from the tiniest details of the process.
Thanks to NetGalley for the the ARC. I can't wait to hold this book physically once it comes out.
Thanks to NetGalley for the the ARC. I can't wait to hold this book physically once it comes out.
April 14, 2025
This novella takes place in a nail salon owned by Ning who is a retired boxer. All her employees wear name tags that say Susan and have the same outfit and haircut.
I found the writing to be very immersive because of all the rich sensory details. While it is a good exploration of a character who exists in this half invisible service role, I felt a bit let down by the lack of direction, I kept waiting for this to go somewhere and it never really did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!
I found the writing to be very immersive because of all the rich sensory details. While it is a good exploration of a character who exists in this half invisible service role, I felt a bit let down by the lack of direction, I kept waiting for this to go somewhere and it never really did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.