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 lake 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.

'A stunning story of friendship and family, love and belonging ... I absolutely adored it' Chris Whitaker, author of All the Colours of the Dark

'Brilliant ... a thoughtful portrait of the ways people reinvent themselves to find belonging—and the costs of doing so' Publishers Weekly

'A rare page-turner that is also compassionate, wise, and finely observed' Chloe Benjamin, author of The Immortalists

'A dazzling, incisive and tender story of friendship' Emma Brodie, author of Into the Blue

© Lucy Tan 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027