I Deliver Food in Los Angeles

Inspired by the realistic documentary style of *I Deliver Packages in Beijing*, this full-length non-fiction novel unfolds from the first-person perspective of Chen Mo, a disillusioned former writer from China. Facing failed job hunts after traveling far to Los Angeles, and pressured by the need to make a living, he buys a second-hand car and signs up as a full-time courier across the city's major delivery platforms. Day in and day out, he navigates vastly contrasting neighborhoods, including the San Gabriel Chinese enclave, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and South Los Angeles. Drawing on a wealth of authentic industry details, the book meticulously breaks down the survival ledger of overseas couriers, chronicling order-grabbing algorithms, high vehicle maintenance costs, the fluctuating tipping culture, and hidden neighborhood security risks. Amidst his daily driving, he encounters a diverse array of expatriates and travelers, witnessing the city's extreme economic divide. As he maneuvers through the hyper-competitive circles of Chinese delivery riders, he finds himself deeply caught in a spiritual tug-of-war between his homeland and his new life abroad. Eschewing the tropes of typical "rags-to-riches" fiction, the novel employs exquisite and delicate prose to portray the wandering hardships of new immigrants through brief doorstep encounters, exploring the dilemmas and crossroads faced by strangers in a foreign land against the backdrop of traffic and setting suns.