* FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GIRL IN TRANSLATION *
'Kwok is an impressive talent' - KARIN SLAUGHTER
'A beautiful, propulsive story' - LAURA DAVE
'A hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery' - LUCY FOLEY
'I will find my daughter. No matter the cost...'
Jasmine Yang thought her daughter was dead at birth. But five years after she was taken from her arms, she learns that her controlling husband sent the baby to America to be adopted, a casualty of China's one-child-policy. Fleeing her rural Chinese village, Jasmine arrives in New York City with nothing except a desperate need to find her daughter. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she's forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her child.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardise not only Rebecca's job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble.
Two women in a divided city, separated by wealth and culture, yet bound together by their love for the same child. And when they finally meet, their lives will never be the same again...
'Propulsive and engrossing' - GUARDIAN
'A suspenseful family drama' - NEW YORK TIMES
'A compelling and moving mystery' - OBSERVER
1 of 1 copy available
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
October 10, 2023 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781805220121
-
EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781805220121
- File size: 2225 KB
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
September 4, 2023
Kwok’s propulsive latest (after Searching for Sylvie Lee) follows a young woman who escapes an abusive marriage in China to find the daughter her husband gave up for adoption. Jasmine married Wen in her rural village when she was 14. Told her daughter died shortly after birth, she learns several years later that Wen, who wanted a boy, gave the baby away in an informal adoption. Jasmine then flees to New York City to track down her child, and supports herself as a cocktail waitress at a strip club. A parallel narrative involves Rebecca, a white, married publishing executive who’s the adoptive mother of Jasmine’s child; Rebecca and her husband, Brandon, have named the girl Fiona. Rebecca’s career is in shaky territory, Brandon appears to be hiding something, and Fiona spends most of her time with her Chinese nanny, Lucy, an awkward woman Rebecca resents. The novel wrestles with many of the same issues as Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, but handles the material with less nuance, and a big reveal feels like too much of a stretch. Still, Kwok ratchets up the tension between Rebecca and Lucy, making for an engrossing and suspenseful plot. This is worth a look. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME.
-