by Jean Kwok
First published 2023
Jasmine Yang steps off the plane in New York City with no money and nowhere to turn. She has escaped her controlling husband and left behind her rural Chinese village for one reason: to find the daughter ripped away from her at birth under China's One Child Policy. Her husband follows her trail, and time runs short. Each choice becomes more dangerous as she hunts for her child. Across the city, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney enjoys her privileged life. She has wealth, career success, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she loves deeply. A nanny helps her juggle work and family. Then an industry scandal erupts, threatening her job and marriage. Her perfect world collapses, and she questions her place in her own family. These two mothers live in different worlds but share an invisible bond. Their paths converge in ways neither expects. The story explores what mothers will sacrifice for their children and how family forms across impossible distances.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unlikely-allies
Setting: New York City, China
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow
Content warnings: child-death, domestic-violence