Lydia is found dead at the bottom of the nearby lake, she is only
16 years old. Her family is devastated as is the small town where nothing much ever happens. A little bit like The Lovely Bones, where the reader knows the scary bad part right from the start and then it flash backs to all the details leading up - this magnificent novel grabs the reader by the shoulders and says LISTEN TO ME! Please pay attention very carefully. This is the story of the Lee family. James, the American History college professor, of Chinese decent, brilliant, shy and forever trying to just fit in. Marilyn, beautiful blue eyed Radcliffe, physics major that falls in love with James and forever regrets her (typical of the time) rush into marriage, children and loss of her dream to be a doctor. And then, their three children, Nath, a highschool senior, Lydia, a sophomore and Hannah whom noone says much about at all. Each and every member of this family struggles with their identity, both how they see themselves and how the world views their Asian features. This is about how an immigrant family believes freedom and education are the key to success which is the key to happiness but generations later, their children just want to blend in, they don't want to stand out in this small mid western town. Each one of them battles with the low self esteem that has been passed on when the parents failures are to be redeemed through the offspring. Excellent writing in a simple yet poetic style, as each chapter is so well thought out it moves quickly and deeply into the very essence of what love and family really mean. Highly recommend this new novel and will be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
I just started this book today and can’t wait to get into it!
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