NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED
A NOVEL

One of Debutiful’s Most Anticipated Debut Books of 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 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.

Coming from Tiny Reparations Books, June 23, 2026
ISBN: 9798217176595

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. This is her debut novel.

Publishing on June 23, 2026

“Names Have Been Changed is a brave debut. It tells a migrant story, specifically a unique aspect of the migrant experience, namely a constant escape from the past in order to seek an existence on one’s own terms. The novel is ingeniously conceived and written in an intelligent, fierce style. It’s a fine contribution to migrant literature of our time.” —Ha Jin, bestselling author of the National Book Award winner Waiting

“With style and verve, Names Have Been Changed puts a sparkling new spin on the migration narrative. Ophir’s gutsy and absorbing confessional will draw you in." —Lisa Ko, national bestselling author of Memory Piece and The Leavers

“Names Have Been Changed is a spiky, smart story about an itinerant Singaporean ex-con who yearns, above all, to return. It’s a book about displacement, friendship, diaspora, love, and criminal enterprise, but above all, the gasping need for connection, when home is out of reach.” —Vanessa Chan, author of international bestseller The Storm We Made

“A stylish, original, and unexpected debut. Reading Names Have Been Changed feels like sitting down for brunch with your coolest friend.” —Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief