Member Review

This beautifully-written, multi-generational story of a Chinese family hit me pretty hard emotionally. The story starts with Meilin and her son, Renshu. They try to find safety during the war with the Japanese, and later, during the Chinese Civil War. Then there's Renshu (later Henry) who grew up and eventually moved to the US. His experiences and struggles as an immigrant are very familiar and personal. Finally, we see Lily, Henry's daughter, as she tries to understand her heritage and understand this father who refuses to tell her anything about his past and family.
I find myself having to pause and stop several times while reading the book. Mostly because I had to keep myself from crying. I did cry though, as this story resonates with my own family history and experiences. It made me think of my grandparents and my father who lived in China during the Japanese occupation. While the details certainly are different, I can see them in the characters of Meilin and Renshu. However, ethnicity is not the only reason to like this book. After all, it's universal to long for home and to learn who we are from the experiences our families have gone through.

**Thank you to the publisher, Little, Brown, and Company and NetGalley for proving an ARC for an honest review!**