Chimerica

by Anita Felicelli

Fiction. California Interest. Down-and-out Tamil American trial lawyer Maya Ramesh fights to save a painted lemur come to life, and in settings that range from Oakland, California, to a Malagasy rain forest, becomes a champion for them both. In magical realist tradition Anita Felicelli's satiric novel, CHIMERICA, looks at the inherent absurdities that drive systems of culture, power, and law. Fans of Marquez, Kelly Link, and Helen Oyeyemi will find CHIMERICA a spirited investigation of the ways in which art is codified and commodified--a contemporary philosophical novel about art, originality, and American culture.

"Felicelli's remarkable CHIMERICA is a coolly surrealist legal thriller--in turns sly, absurd, emotionally vivid, and satirically incisive--that shifts the reader into a world just adjacent to our own."--Jonathan Lethem

"Felicelli blends the matter-of-fact with the mysterious in this utterly unique and compellingly readable debut. CHIMERICA is more than the story of a woman coming into her own power; it's a keen dive into the worlds of law, visual art, and marriage. You really couldn't ask for a novel with better ingredients. Did I mention there's a talking lemur? THERE'S A TALKING LEMUR."--Kelly Luce

"CHIMERICA is the novel about trial lawyers, talking lemurs, and public art you never knew you needed. Anita Felicelli's charming prose and intriguing characters pull you in and keep you engaged. I'm thankful for this wonderfully odd, yet beautifully accessible novel." -- Rajesh Parameswaran

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism

296 pages, Paperback

First published September 5, 2019

About the author

Anita Felicelli is the author of HOW WE KNOW OUR TIME TRAVELERS, which was shortlisted for the 2025 Northern California Book Awards and the 2024 Foreword Indies Award. Her other books are CHIMERICA: A NOVEL and LOVE SONGS FOR A LOST CONTINENT, which won the 2016 Mary Roberts Rinehart Award.

Anita is the books editor at Alta Journal and a former National Book Critics Circle board member. Her essays and criticism have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Slate, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Review of Books, and the New York Times (Modern Love). She lives in the Bay Area with her family.

Reviews

[Steven Felicelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chimerica is a sweeping, Murakamiesque Romance unraveling the mysteries of...intellectual property law? Merging the mundane and the magical, Felicelli's leaping lemur illustrates the illimitable, essentially illicit nature of Art. Try to possess ideas, images, etc. and they will easily elude your grasp to circulate in the unincorporated realm of inter-subjectivity.

What is the work of Art and how does one codify it, commodify it, or restrict its "use"? And to whom does it belong: artist, owner or public? Or are these nonsensical propositions? A spirited play of nonsense will animate this half-real, half-imagined country of Chimerica.

Reminiscent of such diverse works as A Frolic of His Own and The Master & Margarita, Chimerica reveals the inherent absurdity of that most logical construct: Law (in its broadest sense). As dueling egos try to disengage from their imposed identities, each character must confront the chaos of a world in which nothing can be truly possessed and even the laws of physics are subject to gaps and fissures. From the striving anti-hero (a woman of color as rarely cast) to the self-indulgent, mural-born lemur to the legal system which will try him as a matter of course (He is a fiction, mere dabs of paint? Still not above the law, good sir), these phantasmal figures find themselves far-flung from Oakland to a Malagasy rain forest via the whims of pure possibility.

[Olga Zilberbourg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maya Ramesh is a lawyer who has sacrificed so much for success that keeps eluding her. But what's working against her, personal flaws or structural inequalities? The two are so deeply interrelated, and Chimerica offers no easy answers, but does what novels do best: get us deeply involved into Maya's life.

Her inner conflict comes to a head when a lemur shows up at her doorstep and asks for her help. Nevermind that the lemur talks; he claims that he walked off a mural that had been at stake in a trial Maya had been working on before she'd been fired from her job. Maya cannot bring to help the lemur in the way that he had asked her to do, but demands his help in her quest to get her job back. The rest of the novel, for me, was about the question: what would it take for Maya to see how her mind had been programmed by patriarchal, colonial thinking; would she be able to break through that programming, and how? Both Maya and the lemur are such strong central characters, however, that they easily can hold other readings and interpretations.

[Beatrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The power of this incredible, poignant, contemporary and fantastical story soars above the frequently hackneyed writing. Anita Felicelli is a brilliant writer! Just not a technically good one. The core of her story—who is allowed personhood in the American legal system and the white supremacist patriarchal hoops one must navigate to prove personhood within that system— is so great that you can gloss over the bad writing/editing and be satisfied with the conclusions she comes to, and even the short sketch of the future she gives you at the end. The sum of this book is blessedly larger than its parts. Would recommend!

/ETA: My reading of the author’s writing style as hackneyed and not technically good may be a misreading of an intentional style that lets many different types of reader in at different entry points. Maybe a reader who is fascinated by a legal thriller wouldn’t stay in the story if there weren’t extraordinarily obvious tropes trotted out. A straight legal thriller would certainly be didactic and would obscure the personhood point and the personalities of the most vulnerable people involved, so... keep that in mind RE: style.

I am writing this addendum because I noticed there aren’t a lot of written reviews and while I hope the author isn’t reading public reviews of her work, I also don’t want to have a review posted that could read as ungenerous because I think this story is so great.

[Ann Gelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and didn't want it to end. It's a page turner that's also a novel of ideas, a legal thriller and a fabulist cryptozoological tale. I rooted for the smart, spiky protagonist and her pragmatic yet mythological client throughout. Highest recommendation!

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Gary Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's what I wrote in the newspaper:
http://www.metroactive.com/arts/Chime...

[Ayoungman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous, magical and fun novel

What is the self, what is identity, how does an immigrant forge an identity that can be true to oneself and to loved ones, how to make a marriage work? But, even more important of all, what does a lemur have to do with all this?

With an extraordinary gift for gorgeous prose (I often flipped back and forth re-reading some parts), the author provides a novel that's perfect for our times and our preoccupations with identity, immigrants, art, futile web arguments, and essentially how we live our lives dragging pieces together to make an identity while staying afloat amidst the turbulence of power, violence, patriarchy and racism, and fractious relationships.

The fate of a life (in this case that of a talking lemur) can depend on the whim of a doodling judge (or a vegan jurist). A piece of art and its validity can be elevated or trashed in web chatrooms. Amidst all this, an immigrant woman from South India rages against her fates, trying to make and remake an identity even as she is not sure if that's what she needs, while knowing she is coming close to losing everything that matters in her own life.

And then, finally, what is this talking lemur? At first, it’s unsettling maybe even puzzling. Wouldn’t a talking lemur in US be immediately quarantined? Caught and stored in a lab. The novel reminds me of the movie E.T. where the alien needs to go back home, even as the little boy who befriends him struggles against the adults who want to poke and hurt in the name of science. In Chimerica, the lemur is wistful, funny (“Scrabble is some boring shit”), caustic about relationships, and by the end of the novel, melancholy and withdrawn. And the inventive writing makes us swing along with the lemur’s moods and aches and confusion, hoping he will win the case, hoping he is not destroyed, hoping even that he is deemed by laws to be a “living” thing free from the enslavement of “art”.

Anita Felicelli kept me spellbound with her previous novel, Love Songs for a Lost Continent, a collection of short stories that explored identity and immigrant experiences between Tamil Nadu and US, and which resonated deeply within me. With Chimerica, her magic spell continues. Even if like the lemur, we may’ve walked out of a painting, it seems all of our life is only a deep longing for a place that we can call home.



[Jo Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Felicelli's novel for research initially, because its story straddles several genres at once. I say initially because I soon found I was also reading for pleasure, looking forward to the next moment I could pick up 'Chimerica'.

On the subject of genre, it's a well worked mash-up of magical realism, court room drama, sic-fi, with elements of mythology narrative woven into the story. I liked the main protagonist enough that I cared about the cause she was fighting, even if largely she is disagreeable to the other characters in the novel, which is a sign of good writing when a reader bonds with a largely unlikeable character. I think that part of this is because the reader is invited to join Maya on a journey of both discovering the truth, and entering into her turmoil about who she is as a mother, lawyer, and wife. Empathy is deftly built up through the first person perspective from a character who is dealing with life at a rough time.

All in all this is a cleverly and well written read, which is not to heavy to pick up and enjoy any time (the writing that is, because the book is a little chunky). I enjoyed the clever play with styles, and how everyone, including the reader, completely accepts the lemur as a member of society.

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the most interesting parts of this novel are at the very beginning and the very end. The first chapter does a really cool thing by leading us to believe we are going to read something boring and then both subverts our expectations and breaks the genre we were led to believe the book was. The magical realism here is fantastic, and the weirdness is fantastic. The way all of that is handled is great. The one complaint I have is that the family is by far the most interesting part of this book, and the legal thriller part of it felt like a distraction from that. It was purposeful to a certain point, and the ending did a nice job bringing us back to the family, but I was not at all invested in the trail. I actually wished the trial had gone horribly wrong, and that she would be forced to confront the harmful parts of herself. Everything seems to wrap up too nicely, and we didn't get the emotional release I had been hoping for.

[Judith Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the idea that a large, talking lemur is treated as ordinary, except for being the subject of a complicated lawsuit. Magical realism gone deadpan!

The main character, who narrates, is completely focused on becoming a powerful lawyer, and on trying to get back in the good opinion of the man who fired her. She alienates her supportive husband, who kept house and took care of their children. About half way through the book, I was sick of her. I understood what drove her, but she exhausted me.

When she realizes the error of her ways, it happens too suddenly.

However, the book is astonishing, and well written, and unlike anything I've ever read.

[Dilshad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chimerica was the first book I read in 2020 and it could not have been a better choice. As I look back on this year, it was a book that provided hope and continues to provide hope in these times. Hope that we can be our best selves, hope that we are not forever trapped and hope that life continues.

Anita Felicelli is a brilliant writer and her prose are lyrical. Each sentence is evocative and transporting. No one else could combine the life of a lawyer in the Bay Area with lemurs in Madagascar with such ease.

I *highly*  recommend this book.

[Dorothy Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Chimerica. It's a novel that's hard to classify, a blend of a number of genres - tense courtroom drama, noir, magical realism, literary fiction, and more - it kept me turning the pages. The plot, the unique premise, the quirky, imperfectly perfect characters, and the execution, all work well. Oh, and there's a sentient lemur I fell in love with. An impressive accomplishment.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this title in an article about women writing noir. But Chimerica is not just noir. It’s fantasy, it’s a legal thriller, it’s about love, acceptance and belonging. It’s really weird and really good. Highly recommend!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a smart & page-turning combination of legal procedural, domestic drama, and the delightfully absurd… Maya Ramesh, the lawyer narrator, keeps us believing the unbelievable in a story that shines a light on racial and sexual power disparity. Definitely recommend.

[Asa Tanshuh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! I love how it blends legal stuff with a complex immigration story...and I love that lemur—what a character. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to others.

[Lanie Tankard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my review in The Woven Tale Press of this marvelous novel from WTAW Press:

https://www.thewoventalepress.net/201...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant! I can’t recommend it highly enough. The writing is exquisite. It’s funny, clever, sad and incredibly creative. Best book I’ve read on a while.

[Jude Morse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cool play and very gritty but didn’t feel myself loving it

[Sarah Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, thought-provoking page-turner

In Chimerica, Maya, the novel’s narrator and protagonist, is an ambitious lawyer who’s alone at the novel’s beginning, her husband having left her and taken their children. She finds herself in trouble at work too, then winds up attempting to help a giant lemur who has escaped from a mural. I fell head over heels for this novel, which is both an extraordinary work of literature and a gripping page turner. It’s emotionally entirely realistic, both in the complex depiction of Maya and the talking lemur who is also a disputed work of art (and one of my favorite characters ever).

The writing is gorgeous. Here's a moment from when Maya and the lemur first meet:

“Took you long enough to notice my existence,” said the lemur.
His solemn amber eyes were unblinking. His intonation was musical, but it faded at the end of the phrase. He stretched his black furry arms wide and leaned back against the fence with his white furry belly exposed, like he wanted to sun himself. His black hairy hands—or were they paws?—were covered with mud and grass.
At first I couldn’t speak. What I said next, I said to cover up my surprise, because, like most trial attorneys, I hated the sensation of being startled or made to reveal surprise. It feels like losing control, and if you don’t have control, you’re open to all sorts of hostile maneuvers and attacks. “How can I help you?”

It’s serious and it’s fun: it’s art and it’s entertainment. In the course of the book, Anita Felicelli captures the workings of the legal system, and takes on questions of identity, culture, assimilation, caste, class, race, ethnicity, and gender. Chimerica captured my heart utterly, and I recommend it to everyone who loves one-of-a-kind, vivid, beautifully written fiction.

Note: I received a free e-galley from the publisher, with no stipulations about reviews. I interviewed the author (that interview is up at the online literary magazine Full Stop, and I hope people will read it to get more of a sense of this book). Then I bought the book at a reading because I wanted to own a physical copy. I plan to reread this book just to spend time with the characters and with Anita Felicelli's wonderful prose.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I've read a book that could be called "a novel of ideas." Felicelli's "Chimerica" is that, but so much more. It's fanciful and serious, with a talking lemur who works with a down-and-out lawyer to test the boundaries of art and identity. The book erases the line between reality and imagination, in both its craft and its subject matter. It has elements of a legal thriller and elements of magic. It's hard to describe, but it kept me riveted!

[Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

12 trillion stars to this book. It made me feel seen. I'm not the only Indian woman who wants to measure up to the standards of a hostile society so badly that I hurt myself in the process. I'm not alone. Also this book took such a risk with the lemur and pulled it off ingeniously. I'm so grateful to Anita Felicelli for writing this beautiful, beautiful book.