SBC Reads: TIGER'S MOUTH - Nov/Dec 2026
“A stunning story of friendship and family, love and belonging, Tiger’s Mouth takes a bruising and bittersweet look at identity and our changing perception of success and failure. I absolutely adored it.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
We're thrilled to announce our next pick for SBC Reads! TIGER'S MOUTH, by Lucy Tan, is one of those books that sneaks up on you unexpectedly and suddenly you are so deeply invested in the characters you start to neglect all your real-world obligations...
The novel follows Jack Chen, a caterers’ son from Queens who fakes his way into a prestigious tech internship. There he meets Jack Owens, the depressed son of the company’s billionaire founder. Their instant bond blossoms into rivalry as each covets the other’s life, from career to family to romance. Like opponents in a game of Go, they circle each other for years, testing whether friendship can survive ambition, privilege, and hidden lies.
I honestly can't remember the last time I read a book with male protagonists that were as compelling as Tan's main characters. She masterfully weaves together the storylines of the two Jacks over the span of a decade, keeping taut the tensions of class, family, and relationships. TIGER'S MOUTH is a tender portrait of male friendship and a sharp commentary on technology and the hidden power dynamics of generational wealth that underpin success in American society.
“Tiger’s Mouth is a remarkable achievement: a novel whose deep attention to character is equaled by its propulsive plotting and incisive social commentary. Lucy Tan pairs a Sally Rooney–like eye for psychological nuance with a thoughtful exploration of 2020s America, from racial inequity to the paradoxes of healthcare and technology. The result is a wise, clear-eyed, and compassionate work of art.”—Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists and Under Story
Meet author Lucy Tan on tour!
Jenna Bush Hager will be out on tour with Lucy Tan in Nashville, Kansas City, Decatur, and Charleston, so book your tickets here if you're in the area! Lucy's tour will continue to NYC, Seattle, Bellingham, and Shoreline WA. Find all the details and tickest at: lucyrtan.com/events
About the book
When two young men meet during a tech internship, it sparks an intense friendship—and even more intense competition—in this sweeping novel of privilege, identity, and ambition from the acclaimed author of What We Were Promised.
Jack Chen, the oldest son of caterers from Queens, is an expert at studying the rich from afar. When he finagles his way into a prestigious internship at tech giant K.O. Systems, he’s prepared to fake everything: his credentials, his confidence, even his past. What he isn’t prepared for is his officemate, Jack Owens, the depressed son of the company’s billionaire founder, who’s only there for a summer reprieve from his father’s scrutiny at the family vacation house.
Their connection is immediate, built on mutual admiration. Chen sees in Owens the advantages he’s been denied; Owens sees in Chen someone free of the pain he’s been taught to hide. Owens, Chen, and Chen’s girlfriend quickly become close friends, but by summer's end the three can no longer outrun the lies they’ve told themselves and each other. As pressures build throughout the next few years, the two Jacks circle each other like opponents in their favorite board game, Go, each chasing the life the other was born into, from career to family to lovers. But the path to success and matters of the heart can test even the closest of friendships—and not all of them survive.
Nostalgic, heart-wrenching, and propulsive, Tiger’s Mouth is a nuanced portrait of complex friendship, family dynamics, and love in its most unexpected forms.