Names Have Been Changed

Description: **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 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.

Review Quotes: "I first read Balasingamchow's book last July, and I have been thinking about it ever since. Ophir is one of the most memorable characters to jump off the page and the inevitable Hollywood adaptation will have actresses chomping at the bit to play this role... Names Have Been Changed is crackling with energy."
--Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful

"I can't remember the last time a character gripped me as hard as Ophir did. Exciting, sharp, at times fun and at other times heartbreaking, Ophir held my heart in her hands and I was only too happy to give it to her."
--Jesse Q. Sutanto, USA Today bestselling author of Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

"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 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

"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

"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, international bestselling author of The Storm We Made

"An utterly original thieves' confession you won't be able to put down."
--Kirkus, starred review

"A thrilling narrative full of hairpin turns and complex questions.... Ophir is an endlessly companiable narrator despite her patently unreliable version of events, which careens like a roller coaster from one scrape, mistake, or escape to the next. It's a blast."
--Publishers Weekly