Karissa Chen

I truly enjoyed this beautiful book, in fact there were many points I had to pause because I felt emotional over a scene.
These estranged lovers meet in the US, and then the book takes us through multiple timelines and places in China as the country went through so much during mao’s cultural Revolution and their childhood during the Japanese invasions. You connect with characters in such a unique way, through suchi and Haiwens perspectives. I generally enjoy Asian literature and how their show more language is so different from place to place, the author executed these differences applaudably! show less

Wow, this was beautiful. I knew a little about the historical aspect of this book, but you don't need a ton of background to understand what's happening since Karissa Chen lays it all out very clearly. The decision to work the stories backwards from each other, similar to the musical "The Last Five Years", was smart as it helped the complexity of the main character's relationships.

So many times while reading I desperately wanted either Suchi or Haiwen to say what was truly on their minds show more because goodness that could've helped both of them, but of course they don't. While that frustrated me, I do understand why this had to happen it just bugged me a little. show less

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you.

This book is exceptionally well written and exceptionally well researched, quite the feat. I found the book so interesting.
Suchi and Haiwen meet as children at the end of WWII in Shanghai. They become friends, emotional support and true loves. Yet fate separates them.
The story is told from several points of view, the main ones from Suchi, from her childhood to the present time and Haiwen, from present time back to his childhood.
I knew show more little about this time and this area, and found it very interesting. The story depicts how the Chinese felt during the Japanese occupation, how the Chinese felt as their Nationalist government is being challenged by Communism, how different areas of China spoke completely different dialects, resulting in basically a different language. Karissa Chen writes about all of this in the book, in fact as the characters are in different areas, they are referred to differently (Suchi's name is different in Mardarin, Cantonese, etc and in this book, Chen matches the name to where Suchi is. It is not as confusing as it sounds, just something to be aware of).
I found this book heartwarming, sad, emotional, and by the end of the book I really was invested in all the characters. A great book. show less

Remarkable and dramatic novel about being Chinese and living through the shock and horror of war with Japan, followed by Nationalism, and Communism. How families were torn apart by totalitarian leaders replacing peace with fear, violence, hunger and poverty. Suchi and Haiwen were no exceptions. Growing up in the same 'longtang' neighborhood, attending the same school and becoming friends and more.

Individuals needed to make painful, heartrending, life-changing decisions without guarantees it show more would save their families.

This novel is a must read to help us understand the history, culture, politics and family dynamics of countries very different than the US. And warn us of what could happen here as well. show less