by Susie Luo
First published 2024
Tony works as a doorman in a Manhattan building after leaving his engineering career behind. The Chinese immigrant took this job to provide for his family in America. His daughter Tammy grows up caught between her father's expectations and her own dreams as a first generation American. She struggles with what her parents want for her and what she wants for herself. Oliver lives in the building where Tony works. The white lawyer appears successful but hides secrets about his family's past. A violent attack suddenly connects all three of their lives. The incident forces Tony to confront what he sacrificed for his American dream. Tammy must decide who she wants to become. Oliver faces the truth about his background. Their stories unfold across three decades, moving between New York and China. The attack becomes the moment that changes everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other. This is a story about parents and children, about the choices that shape us, and about finding connection across the differences that seem to divide us.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, generational-conflict
Setting: China, Manhattan, New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
288 pages · Paperback · Hanover Square Press