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Philosophical, tender, and hilariously observed, Nice Places subverts the “go find yourself” travel story, unpacking our shared desire for meaning, connection, and a true place in the world.
When Georgie quits his job at Oats Technologies to travel the world for one year, he hopes to escape the daily existential discomfort of corporate life. But after a meditation guru robs him on his way to the airport, he awakens in a guest house in the rundown yet vibrant Panhandle neighborhood of his own city.
Alone with his phone and a desperate urge to assure his friends and family all is well, Georgie shares a photo of “authentic” boat noodles. To his surprise, everyone loves the post and believes he is overseas. Ant, a mixed media artist from Berlin, proposes a collaboration. With her vision and the help of a charming cast of guests and locals, Georgie’s unlikely adventures unravel in ways he never imagined.
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PRAISE FOR NICE PLACES
“A wildly inventive tale of how we forge our identities online, Nice Places could be the Eat, Pray, Love of the Instagram generation. A book that sends up the cliches of travel culture while celebrating travel’s life-affirming qualities. An ingenious premise that unfolds into a profound meditation on the attempt to lead a meaningful life. Chu’s writing is addictive and hilarious.”
—Kate Folk, author of Sky Daddy
“Nice Places takes our universal and timely experiences of disconnection, envy, and existential dread, and delivers a story that makes you feel less alone in your loneliness. Funny, surreal, and poignant, this book will make you question the way our culture has both idolized and burnt out on travel, wellness, and the corporate grind. Vincent Chu has written a parable that demonstrates the journey actually is more important than the destination. A fantastic read!”
—Lillian Li, author of Number One Chinese Restaurant
“A swift, delightful, heartfelt novel about feeling very small within an impossibly large world, Nice Places manages something rare: it lets us in on what feels like one of those intangible questions of life while at the same causing us to wonder, is it really that important to find an answer? Thoughtful and compelling, this is a novel that will stay with me a long time.”
—Jinwoo Chong, author of I Leave It Up To You and Flux
“At times humorous and biting, other times joyous and tender, Vincent Chu's Nice Places explores the journey we all take to find where we belong. Peopled with characters you come to love and root for, Nice Places is all heart!”
—Tomas Moniz, author of All Friends Are Necessary
“Vincent Chu has struck a blow for office workers everywhere. Nice Places won’t take you on a dream trip, but it will bring you somewhere unexpected. I laughed, I cringed, I questioned every word of my LinkedIn profile!”
—Ed Lin, author of the Taipei Night Market novels
“Like an inside-out Atlas Obscura, Nice Places catalogues the quirky adventures and awakenings that await us right here at home when familiar territory seems to rearrange itself.”
—Soma Mei Sheng Frazier, author of Off the Books
“In a Siddhartha or an On the Road for our modern times, Vincent Chu’s Nice Places gives us Georgie who quits his corporate job to travel the world in search of fulfillment and meaning. Wry and sharply drawn, Nice Places will make you laugh. What a joyful read!”
—Daniel A. Olivas, author of Chicano Frankenstein
"Like all absurdist novels in absurd times, Nice Places has the gall—and the decency—to make you laugh at the world, at your life, and at yourself.”
—Patrick Nathan, author of The Future Was Color
"Vincent Chu manages to recover the art of the travel narrative, dusting off the ashes of our expectations and capturing, with humorous, cutting prose, a picture of the places and people who might yet revive us.”
—Tupelo Quarterly
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