by Ha Jin
First published 2007
Nan Wu stands at a crossroads after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. He makes a choice that will change everything: he cuts ties with China and brings his family to America. His wife Pingping and young son Taotao follow him into this uncertain future. Nan takes whatever work he can find, moving from one low-paying job to another. Eventually he and Pingping pool their resources to run a restaurant together. But adapting to American life proves harder than Nan expected. He fights to keep his family united while wrestling with memories of a woman he once loved and lost. The weight of starting over in a foreign country tests every relationship that matters to him. Nan must decide what he's willing to sacrifice for the promise of a free life in his adopted homeland.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, american, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: China, America
Period: 1989
432 pages · Kindle Edition · Vintage