Sometimes the setting in a novel is so rich, so descriptive and so key to the story that it actually becomes one of the characters.
Such is the case with the dazzling city of Hong Kong, the setting for The Expatriates, the story of three women living in a small expat community and how their lives intersect.
I have never been to Hong Kong although it is certainly on my travel bucket list. But based on how others have described it to me, including my daughter who visited several years ago, author Janice Y.K. Lee perfectly captures the mystique, the glamour and the class system: the privileged and the deprived.
With Lee’s keen sense of nuance, plus her intimate knowledge of the city (she was born there), the bustling metropolis that serves as a temporary home for expatriates Mercy, Margaret and Hilary comes alive as their stories are told.
There is pathos in their lives. Mercy is the 20-something Korean American from Queens, NY who graduated from Columbia but did not find the automatic path to success she had expected with an Ivy League diploma. Unlike many of her classmates who have moved on to relationships and careers, she is stagnating in a pool of bad luck and poor choices.
Margaret is a happily married mother of three, living the good life with luncheons, spa treatments and parties occupying her days. Until tragedy strikes and she is forced to deal with a devastating loss, that is. She goes through the motions of life while her heart is breaking, putting on a good act of being the happy wife and devoted mother but overwhelmed with sadness.
Coming from a wealthy family, Hilary lives in luxury with her husband and is waited on by servants. But money can’t resolve her fertility issues, and she is consumed by her inability to get pregnant. As she and her husband deliberate over adopting a young boy they have come to know, her life shifts abruptly and she is forced to deal with loss.
And loss really is the catalyst that will propel them move forward, as each comes to accept what is and recalibrate. In the surprising but plausible moment when their lives converge, they find common ground — and are able to help each other in ways that would have been thought unimaginable.
“Hong Kong is so small” is an oft repeated phrase by the characters in this book. The expatriates tend to live in the same areas, shop at the same stores, attend the same parties. This microcosm of Hong Kong society is fascinating to observe, almost like an anthropological study, and Lee does it magnificently.
One of my lucky readers will receive a copy of The Expatriates. Please leave a comment and a winner will be selected randomly.
I received a complimentary copy of The Expatriates from Viking for an honest review,
which is the only kind of review I write.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Helene Cohen Bludman
This sounds like a really good read! I would also love to visit Hong Kong one day as well 🙂
Fingers crossed for both of us. 🙂
I am reasonably sure I read The Piano Teacher and enjoyed it. This sounds like a marvelous read. I love when there are themes or connections between characters and we ultimately learn how those connections are finally linked. I’d also love to visit Hong Kong, so seeing it through the author’s eyes would be a plus.
Cathy Chester recently posted…Why Community Is Important In The Midst Of Sadness
Yes, everything comes together so perfectly. It takes a lot of skill to do that!
That sounds like a great read. I think my husband would love this.
Great!
Me! I just got home to several books you recommended and now, this one? I have to read it! I do! Oh I hope I win! 😉
Carol Cassara recently posted…What they do doesn’t matter
🙂
I love when the setting is a character in a book. On my travels I have visited spots I read about and have usually been thrilled. A friend from college, heirs of a company fortune, lived in the Far East and sent to schools here. Her stories always seemed that the expats all knew each other’s business! This book sounds great!
Haralee recently posted…How Nail Polish and Earrings Helped Me Through Menopause
I bet your friend would totally relate to this book, Haralee!
Oh Helene, you’ve certainly got my attention with this revue. I’d love to share in the lives of those expats. Please throw my name in the hat.
Consider it thrown, Lani!
Sounds fascinating!
Thanks!
Thank you for your thoughtful review. Hong Kong is an important city, yet I don’t think I have read a book set there – yet! Thanks for the rec.
You’re very welcome, Karen.
This book sounds right up my alley. I love escaping into worlds so different from mine. You always have such great reccommendations. Thanks!
Thank you, Ellen!
I am from Queens NY like one of the book characters, very cool. This sounds like an interesting read. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Interesting! Thanks, Karla.
Hi Helene,
Book reviewing is a great thing to do in so many ways: you get to read books and find those that are amazing and that you want to share, and you help writers. Thanks for this post. Beth Havey
Beth, thank you. I love reading so book blogging has been a wonderful opportunity for me. Appreciate your stopping by!
You had me at book. I am always in the market for a good book and this one is definitely getting me intrigued.
Rebecca Bryant recently posted…Monday Music with David Bowie #Music #Tribute #RIP
Thanks, Rebecca!
This sounds like an interesting book. My father-in-law has been to Hong Kong and verifies how busy and diverse in a small area that section of the world really is.
It must be fascinating to visit — or to live there.
Okay. I’ll wait to find out if I win, if I don’t I will head to Amazon!
Tam Warner Minton recently posted…The Last Parent
That’s the spirit!
This sounds great. I love books about female connections. Count me in for wanting to win! 😀 Thanks for the opportunity and review.
Lisa at Grandma’s Briefs recently posted…Changing the rules! Plus, GRAND Social No. 190 link party for grandparents
Thanks, Lisa!
Oh, I would love to win a copy. A friend of mine spent a few years living in Hong Kong and boy does she have stories.
Milena recently posted…LEGO FRIENDS: Girlz 4 Life Blu-ray And Lego Set #Giveaway #Lego
I would love to hear them!
This sounds like a great read. My son spent a summer in Hong Kong and loved it. You and I will have to figure out how to take a trip there! Meanwhile, we can visit vicariously through this book!
Lois Alter Mark recently posted…why a viking river cruise just might save your marriage
Viking Cruise? 🙂
You had me at Hong Kong! I’d love to go there someday. This sounds like a fab read. Thanks much for the giveaway!
Carolann recently posted…My Favorite Gadget Of The Week
Thanks, Carolann, I really hope to visit as well!
I love the mystic of new worlds and cultures, coupled with the concept of Hong Kong as a character. Sounds like a delicious read!
Kimberl
Exactly!
This sounds like a really fabulous book. Hong Kong is definitely an enticing city to read about!
Keikilani recently posted…5 Reasons Moms Should Have Goals & Dreams Just for Herself
It makes me want to visit more than ever!
That sounds like an awesome book! I will have to pick me up a copy.
Autumn @Mamachallenge recently posted…Best Spaghetti and Meatballs EVER
Great!
Wow. We are actually going there to visit our friends in a few mnths. Now I need to read this book!
Lucky you!
Book reviewing is a great thing to do for so many reasons: you get to read books and find great ones and share them with others. I can’t wait to check it out! Added to my list!
Claudia Krusch recently posted…Easy CrockPot Oatmeal
I couldn’t agree more!