The book 888: Love Under the Weight of Numbers

Author's name: Abraham Yu-Yung Chang

The author takes us to the heart of New York City in the 1990s, where the protagonist, Yung Wang, a young American of Chinese descent, lives a turbulent life, balancing his studies at New York University with the vicissitudes of his heart. In a city teeming with diverse identities and nationalities, Yung seeks to understand himself through the lens of love and numbers, inspired by the teachings of his eccentric uncle, Su Su, who believes that every person is destined to experience seven loves in their lifetime.

Jung takes it upon himself to archive those emotional experiences, relying on numbers and symbolic meanings, until he meets Irina Yasuda, who captivates him with her beauty, spontaneity, and love of life. However, he falls into the trap of confusion and loss, as Irina is only his sixth love, prompting him to wonder: Is she my inevitable destiny, or is the seventh - and final - love still waiting for me?

The novel weaves together the threads of the present and the past, as Jung evokes past love experiences, revealing an internal struggle between choice and fate, and between a deeply rooted identity and the ability to integrate into a constantly evolving society. It is a meditation on love, identity, and belonging, told against a backdrop rich with 1990s nostalgia, popular culture symbols, and the numerological superstitions of Chinese folklore.

The reader is not unaware of the writer’s deep passion for music and cinema, which is clearly evident in the fabric of the novel, to the point that the reader almost feels as if he is moving between musical excerpts and cinematic scenes that are etched in memory.