What We Were Promised

Fiction & Literature, Cultural Heritage, Contemporary Women
Cover of the book What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan, Little, Brown and Company
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lucy Tan ISBN: 9780316437219
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company Publication: July 10, 2018
Imprint: Little, Brown and Company Language: English
Author: Lucy Tan
ISBN: 9780316437219
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication: July 10, 2018
Imprint: Little, Brown and Company
Language: English

Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises.

After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family has moved back to China. Settling into a luxurious serviced apartment in Shanghai, Wei, Lina, and their daughter, Karen, join an elite community of Chinese-born, Western-educated professionals who have returned to a radically transformed city.

One morning, in the eighth tower of Lanson Suites, Lina discovers that a treasured ivory bracelet has gone missing. This incident sets off a wave of unease that ripples throughout the Zhen household. Wei, a marketing strategist, bows under the guilt of not having engaged in nobler work. Meanwhile, Lina, lonely in her new life of leisure, assumes the modern moniker taitai-a housewife who does no housework at all. She is haunted by the circumstances surrounding her arranged marriage to Wei and her lingering feelings for his brother, Qiang. Sunny, the family's housekeeper, is a keen but silent observer of these tensions. An unmarried woman trying to carve a place for herself in society, she understands the power of well-kept secrets. When Qiang reappears in Shanghai after decades on the run with a local gang, the family must finally come to terms with the past and its indelible mark on their futures.

From a silk-producing village in rural China, up the corporate ladder in suburban America, and back again to the post-Maoist nouveaux riches of modern Shanghai, What We Were Promised explores the question of what we owe to our country, our families, and ourselves.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Set in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises.

After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family has moved back to China. Settling into a luxurious serviced apartment in Shanghai, Wei, Lina, and their daughter, Karen, join an elite community of Chinese-born, Western-educated professionals who have returned to a radically transformed city.

One morning, in the eighth tower of Lanson Suites, Lina discovers that a treasured ivory bracelet has gone missing. This incident sets off a wave of unease that ripples throughout the Zhen household. Wei, a marketing strategist, bows under the guilt of not having engaged in nobler work. Meanwhile, Lina, lonely in her new life of leisure, assumes the modern moniker taitai-a housewife who does no housework at all. She is haunted by the circumstances surrounding her arranged marriage to Wei and her lingering feelings for his brother, Qiang. Sunny, the family's housekeeper, is a keen but silent observer of these tensions. An unmarried woman trying to carve a place for herself in society, she understands the power of well-kept secrets. When Qiang reappears in Shanghai after decades on the run with a local gang, the family must finally come to terms with the past and its indelible mark on their futures.

From a silk-producing village in rural China, up the corporate ladder in suburban America, and back again to the post-Maoist nouveaux riches of modern Shanghai, What We Were Promised explores the question of what we owe to our country, our families, and ourselves.

More books from Little, Brown and Company

Cover of the book Lost Angel by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Stiletto by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Spark by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book A Good Walk Spoiled by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Sabotage by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Winter Solstice by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book The Death of a President by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Killer Instinct by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book The Balcony by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Bad Lies by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book A Princess in Maine by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book The Angel Experiment by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book The Ground Beneath Us by Lucy Tan
Cover of the book Alert by Lucy Tan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy