by Jean Kwok
First published 2019
Amy Lee has always lived in the shadow of her brilliant older sister Sylvie, who was raised apart from the family by distant relatives before rejoining them in America at age nine. When Sylvie travels to the Netherlands to visit their dying grandmother and then disappears without a trace, Amy faces her worst nightmare. Despite her timid nature, Amy decides she must find her fierce protector who always showered her with love. She flies to the Netherlands and retraces Sylvie's final movements, searching for clues about what happened to the golden girl of their Chinese immigrant family. But Amy's investigation uncovers far more than she bargained for. Sylvie harbored painful secrets that reveal uncomfortable truths about their complicated family history and the years of separation that shaped both sisters. As Amy digs deeper, she discovers that the sister she idolized was struggling with burdens Amy never imagined. The search forces Amy to confront not only family secrets but also her own identity as she learns that truly knowing someone, even those closest to us, may be impossible.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Netherlands, America
Period: Contemporary
336 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow