The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong

In a Chinatown housing project lives twelve-year-old Benny, his ailing grandmother, and his strange neighbor Constantine, a man who believes he's a reincarnated medieval samurai. When his grandmother is hospitalized, Benny manages to survive on his own until a social worker comes snooping. With no other family, he is reluctantly taken in by Constantine and soon, an unlikely bond forms between the two.

At least, that's what Yu, the narrator of the story, wants to write.

The creator of a bestselling comic book, Yu is struggling with continuing the poignant tale of Benny and Constantine and can't help but interject from the present day, slowly revealing a darker backstory. Can Yu confront the demons he's spent his adult life avoiding or risk his own life...and Benny's? (From Atria Books)

The Double Life of Benson Yu is on the 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist.

• The CBC Books fall reading list: 40 Canadian books to read this season
• Kevin Chong on The Double Life of Benson Yu, and what happens when you try and fail to write a memoir
• The best Canadian fiction of 2023

Kevin Chong is a Vancouver-based writer and associate professor at the University of British Columbia. His other books include the nonfiction book Northern Dancer and fiction titles like The Plague and Beauty Plus Pity. 

Interviews with Kevin Chong

Q11:26Kevin Chong on "The Double Life of Benson Yu" and what happens when you try and fail to write a memoir

Vancouver writer Kevin Chong is back with his seventh book. This time, he’s written a metafiction about a comic book writer struggling to come to terms with a past trauma. He talks to Tom about the story, and what inspired him to write his darkest ever book.

The Next Chapter16:05Kevin Chong exposes the long-lasting effects of abuse in his metafiction tale, The Double Life of Benson Yu

Ryan B. Patrick interviews Kevin Chong about his new novel about a writer who loses control of his narrative.