I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/pww0CTEG8rI

Really enjoyed this family saga of a Chinese family legacy in the midwest. Pattered on Dostoyevsky but really able to stand on its own, this "Brothers Karamajong" tale has vivid characters, beautifully observed internal dynamics, and details that kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next.

Complex story about the immigrant experience. The author did a very good job giving us the perspective from different family members and the pressures they each felt. Also those in the larger community. A few surprises along the way.

I had a very hard time getting into this story. I saw many great reviews which had me excited, but I found the writing to be very choppy and so many times I had no idea what was going on.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a great epic about the Chao family—the tyrannical father Leo, the sweet ever-suffering mother Winnie, and the three sons, Dagou, Ming, and James. I enjoyed the novel’s focus on how the siblings relate to each other and their parents, and what they owe each other as family members and members of an immigrant community.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at 31%. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters or care about them, and the plot felt jumbled and confusing.

I absolutely loved this family story. The characters, although not all likable, were wholly realized and I really enjoyed getting to know each of them individually and as a family unit. I have a few qualms with some plot elements not being smoothly integrated into the narrative, but I think if you go into this one not expecting a big mystery, but rather a complex family story, then you could enjoy this one like I did. Thumbs up!

Part murder mystery part multigenerational family drama, Chinese American representation. The premise was promising but the execution lacking. The pacing was a bit slow, with no clear direction for much of the novel. This one was just ok for me.

The Family Chao is the perfect blend of mystery and family drama. However, I do think it takes a while to find it's footing and I wanted more from the story. I think fans of slow moving literary fiction character portrayals will enjoy this title.

This is a modern multigenerational family story that felt reminiscent of Succession with the setting being a Chinese restaurant. Each character has their own well-written storyline, and the mystery surrounding who killed the father gives the second half of the books some suspenseful. I would say this is more literary fiction than a mystery/thriller and the first half felt slow. Truly I was just waiting for when Leo was going to die as that man was awful. With a cast of unlikable characters, I found myself sympathizing for Winnie because she seemed like she had the least amount of freedom and choices. I thought this was a good book but may have to give a second thought before picking up another book by this author.

This was an introduction into the dynamics of an Asian/American family. The multigenerational cast showed that the “old ways” still prevailed even by the younger members of the family. Even while they wanted to break from the long list of traditions and folklore those old customs was their guiding light that directed their decisions in life.
   At the top of this chain was the father: a mean, despicable man who thought it was his job to make everyone else miserable in life and he accomplished this quite well. A mother whose long suffering relationship with this man finally drove her to her church to reside with the nuns. They had three sons, all with different goals and all finally return at various times to the family and the restaurant that was the common denominator for all of them.
   While this was an interesting look into another culture, it really is no different that that of an Italian, Irish or Jewish family who carry along the old ways even now.
   I wished there was less discussion about the various foods and cooking and preparation…….if it was supposed to pique my interest into Asian cooking it did not.
   The story of the Chao family described a life of prejudice, family jealousies, obligations and how all their interactions produced a very sad cast of characters with unfulfilled lives and as a reader I thought their lives would never change to the good.

I requested this book as background reading for a First Impressions Program booked by Kezia in marketing. It proved a success with the BookBrowse members who reviewed it with an average 4.4 star rating. So, in addition to the online and email activity for First Impressions (sent to Kezia at the time), we also ran it as a "Today's Top Pick" for a week on BookBrowse with a featured review and article -- this was also sent to Kezia at the time.

Review:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/reviews/index.cfm/ref/el280768/the-family-chao#reviews
Beyond the Book Article:
https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag/btb/index.cfm/ref/el280768/the-family-chao#btb

Thank you Netgalley, Lan Samantha Chang and W. W. Norton & Company for free e-ARC in return of my honest review.

What a weird story!

I have mixed feelings about this novel. At first, I didn’t enjoy it at all - the plot was dragging, nothing much happened, except family disputes and arguments, characters were shallow and boring. Only 2/3 into the novel, I finally grasp the enormity of what the author wanted to actually say. She portrays not only racial issues in a rural American city, but also the tragedy of first-generation kids of immigrant parents. The loneliness of being different in all-white community, the burden of hope and the responsibility of achievement, the severity of parental hope- these are all parts of every day life of children whose parents came chasing American dreams. The story of three brothers is basically the story of every child born to immigrant family. Parents and kids are different simply because they were raised in different country and different culture. By immigrating to another country, parents do not shed their culture and traditions, they bring them and try share with children born in a new country. However, kids go to a new school, get used to new culture and new traditions, and the dissonance of what happens inside and outside of home is a huge burden for first generation children.

I understand all that because I am that kid and that parent. I immigrated with my family when I was in my early 20s, so I got both parts of the deal. My experience helps me understand the novel better. I am not sure if those who didn’t go through immigration process would get the scope of the story. It is not about the murder and investigation at all, it is not a thriller- it is about parent’s love and their demands, about immigration and about new immigrants place in their new chosen country, it’s about family relations and family bonds.

Anyway, I am glad I have read it, it wasn’t easy, however I don’t think it would become one of my favorites and I doubt I’d reread it.

The author's idea to retell a Russian philosophical novel and stay true to the story while utilizing a Chinese American family in the restaurant business may have been a little misguided. The characters are difficult to relate to and their actions are strange. I appreciate the representation of Asian characters, but this one didn't work for me.

The Family Chao is a retelling of Dostoevsky's the Brothers Karamazov set in and around a Chinese restaurant in Wisconsin. Talk about family dynamics and the immigrant Outsider experience!

Faithfully recreated, this book works best knowing the Dostoevsky tale and that the brothers are intentionally typecast. The literary mystery was cleverly done.

Thank you Pushkin for bringing the story up to date!

4.1/5

I really didn't like this book at first. It seemed shallow, didn't make sense, and it lacked a sense of direction. Yet I'm glad that I continued reading it because there did turn out to be some followable plot line and discussion going on. It might not have been refined, or not necessarily how I would have done it, but it's there. This isn't a pretty story by any means. It shows the ugliest, most complicated parts of human nature and puts them on display. Many will be repelled by this, but if you can get past the initial "ick" feeling, there's substance there that asks you to question your assumptions and face your discomfort.

The Family Chao was not quite a thriller/mystery, but definitely was a family drama that had me on the edge of my seat. There is a murder storyline, but this is introduced later in the story. The true focus of the story is a generational family drama. Each of the family members had their own stories and POV that felt distinct and full. I loved learning about this story and family dramas that focus on the difficulties of family and expectations of family, etc., are stories I am always drawn to. This is a family drama that is definitely on the darker side, so readers should be aware of that when going into the book. Overall I recommend and will pick up this author again.

I enjoyed this book about the Chao family. I felt the story was a little slow-moving at times, but it was still an enjoyable read!

This was alright. I think I was expecting something a little more dynamic in a book revolving around a murder mystery, but it wasn’t bad.

At a Chinese restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin, James is returning home from college to see his family for the holidays. His mother, Winnie, has recently left his domineering father, Leo Chao, and joined a convent. Also in town are James’ older brothers Dagou and Ming, one of whom never left Haven while the other got as far away from his roots as possible. They get together for a lavish meal prepared by the oldest brother, Dagou, and it devolves into a major conflict between Leo and the majority of his family.

The next day the Chao patriarch is found dead, with suspicion immediately falling upon his three sons. One of the brothers is arrested and the other two look for exonerating information all while living under the community’s scrutiny. Though The Family Chao is centered around a mysterious death, at the heart is a tale of complex family dynamics and the inheritance of generational scars, especially amongst immigrant families.

I’m actually little surprised at how late in the story Leo Chao dies, since the synopsis is so upfront about it. It was a little difficult for me to get a handle on the dynamics amongst the three sons, since so much of the build-up in the first act is about each of their relationships with their father. The most effective parts of the book for me ended up being when the Chao kids reflected on their experiences living in Haven as the children of immigrants. It was really interesting to see how the same circumstances manifested differently in each of them.

I feel like there was a disconnect between everything leading up to the dinner and the eventual trial after the fact. A lot was lost in the time jump, and I never really regained my footing within the narrative. However, that second act ended up containing some of the more incisive criticism of white American racism, both institutional and individual. The take down of so-called “animal lovers” who value a hypothetical pet over the actual lives of humans (and animals killed for food and consumer goods, while we’re at it) was especially well done. As was the commentary on the overlap of online conspiracies, hate campaigns and racism.

Overall I enjoyed the book! But I think I liked individual aspects of it better than as a complete story.

I featured this title on Book Riot's best books for book clubs in 2022 (link below). Loved the story, but found so many people had no idea it was a mystery. Would love for it to be marketed to more mystery readers! I feel like they are missing out on this one.