International Book Club: Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen
Wed, Oct 01
|Staunton Books & Tea
Join our International Book Club this October as we discuss Kirstin Chen’s sharp and witty novel Counterfeit, with special guest Clifford Garstang, author of The Last Bird of Paradise, who will share insights from his Singapore-set story. Grab both books as a set at Staunton Books & Tea with 10% off
Time & Location
Oct 01, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Staunton Books & Tea, 34 E Beverley St, Staunton, VA 24401, USA
About the event
Join us for our October International Book Club as we dive into Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen, a sharp and entertaining novel about identity, morality, and female empowerment. The story follows Ava Wong, a strait-laced Chinese American lawyer, who is drawn into a high-stakes scheme importing knock-off luxury goods from China—a caper that forces her to question loyalty, friendship, and the price of success.
We’re delighted to welcome Clifford Garstang as our special guest for this discussion. Garstang’s most recent novel, The Last Bird of Paradise, is also set in Singapore and weaves together the lives of two women separated by nearly a century—an English painter in 1914 and an American lawyer in the wake of 9/11—linked by mysterious paintings that bridge past and present. His insights into Singaporean history, culture, and storytelling will bring a fresh perspective to Chen’s work and the broader landscape of literature set in or inspired by Singapore.