by Timothy Mo
First published 1995
Chen and his wife Lily arrived in London from Hong Kong four years ago. They have lost their place in the society they left behind and still long for, yet they cannot find comfort in the country that welcomed them. Lily carries the fighting spirit her boxer father instilled in her. He raised her like a son, training her as if she were meant to settle his own defeated ambitions. She clings to the customs of her heritage but knows when to break them strategically to survive. The young couple exists suspended between two worlds, belonging fully to neither. Their marriage becomes a testing ground for questions of identity, adaptation, and survival as immigrants caught between competing loyalties and conflicting values.
Genres: contemporary, adult-fiction, 21st-century, cultural, asian-american, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: belonging, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Hong Kong, London
Period: 21st Century
392 pages · Hardcover · Editorial Anagrama