Names Have Been Changed: A Novel
Jun 2026 · Sold by Penguin
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272
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About this ebook
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
**One of NPR's 15 Books Our Critics Can't Wait for This Summer**
**One of Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2026**
**One of E! News's Books to Read This Summer**
**One of Marie Claire's Best Mystery-Thriller Books of 2026**
**One of BookRiot's Best Mysteries and Thrillers for True Crime Podcast Listeners**
**One of Electric Lit's Most Anticipated Books by Women of Color for Summer and Fall 2026**
**One of Kirkus's 40 Hottest Reads for Summer 2026**
Catch Me If You Can meets Counterfeit in this thrilling debut novel about Ophir—not her real name—who starts a confessional podcast about her years on the run around the globe, in an unforgettable story about the costs of freedom and the inescapable pull of home
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Names Have Been Changed is a stylish, fast-paced debut novel that reveals the complicated paths we take to build a life and a home. Filled with danger and twists, it’s ultimately a story about immigration and belonging—one unlike any you’ve seen before.
**One of NPR's 15 Books Our Critics Can't Wait for This Summer**
**One of Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2026**
**One of E! News's Books to Read This Summer**
**One of Marie Claire's Best Mystery-Thriller Books of 2026**
**One of BookRiot's Best Mysteries and Thrillers for True Crime Podcast Listeners**
**One of Electric Lit's Most Anticipated Books by Women of Color for Summer and Fall 2026**
**One of Kirkus's 40 Hottest Reads for Summer 2026**
Catch Me If You Can meets Counterfeit in this thrilling debut novel about Ophir—not her real name—who starts a confessional podcast about her years on the run around the globe, in an unforgettable story about the costs of freedom and the inescapable pull of home
Ophir’s tale begins in Singapore, where a petty crime spins out of control, estranging her from home and family. Resorting to false identities and forged passports (being mixed-race helps), she crisscrosses the globe from a Paris-themed hostess bar in Tokyo, to a bustling Chinese restaurant in London, to a snowbound mountain town in Colorado and beyond.
Broadcasting from an undisclosed location, Ophir is funny, prickly, tough, and vulnerable, entrancing her listeners with an irresistible, no-holds-barred recounting of not only her crimes (plural) but also her deepest secrets and regrets. Even as she moves seamlessly across class lines and continents, she grapples with the shock of relentless dislocation, a painful reexamination of identity, and a deep yearning for home. She tries to find comfort in new lovers and ill-gotten luxury goods, but she can’t help attracting trouble, and she soon faces an unexpected, high-stakes choice that could change her fate forever.
Names Have Been Changed is a stylish, fast-paced debut novel that reveals the complicated paths we take to build a life and a home. Filled with danger and twists, it’s ultimately a story about immigration and belonging—one unlike any you’ve seen before.
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
**One of NPR's 15 Books Our Critics Can't Wait for This Summer**
**One of Debutiful's Most Anticipated Debut Books of 2026**
**One of E! News's Books to Read This Summer**
**One of Marie Claire's Best Mystery-Thriller Books of 2026**
**One of BookRiot's Best Mysteries an...
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About the author
Yu-Mei Balasingamchow was born in Singapore and moved to Boston, where she was a bookseller at Papercuts Bookshop and where she teaches writing workshops at GrubStreet. Her short fiction has received a Pushcart Prize special mention and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize. She has an MFA in creative writing from Boston University and has received grants from the Elizabeth George Foundation, Sewanee Writers Conference, and Singapore’s National Arts Council. Names Have Been Changed is her debut novel.
Yu-Mei Balasingamchow was born in Singapore and moved to Boston, where she was a bookseller at Papercuts Bookshop and where she teaches writing workshops at GrubStreet. Her short fiction has received a Pushcart Prize special mention and been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize. She has an MFA ...
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