Abstract
Michael Cho’s graphic novel Shoplifter is a fine example of “Asianfail,” where the heroine fails to excel as Asian North Americans are “supposed to.” Narratives of failure are either rare or untold in Asian North American literature because Asians are often stereotyped as the successful model minority. Yet Shoplifter is more than simply a story about a twenty-something woman’s search for identity. With its rich details and striking colours, Cho’s visual language suggests that the graphic novel is also about contemporary urban life: its strange beauty and darkness, its complexities and hollowness. Shoplifter is a narrative about the development of a young Asian North American woman as well as a tribute to—and critique of—big city life.
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