Perfect for fans of Pachinko and Last Night at the Telegraph Club, this propulsive, tender novel follows an immigrant family across generations as they navigate love, belonging, and the great fictions we must weave to preserve a legacy.
For centuries, the Chin family has kept its secrets.
In 1878, Duanfang knows he's destined for greatness. He'll do anything to uphold and protect the legacy of his Manchu family--even if it means hiding his past.
In 1965, Zheng Yi flies from Taiwan to New York City to have a shot at attending an American college. Thrown into a world of parties, prejudice, and a tumultuous romance, Yi worries that New York may be more than she can handle. But just as she is beginning to adjust, she must make a shocking decision that will irrevocably change her life and her future forever.
Today, Dawn Chin's family is opaque at best, with heavy expectations and heavier silences. But an assignment to interview her grandmother is about to crack open her real family history: a legacy hundreds of years old, and a lie decades in the making . . .
- An ambitious, literary gem
- A multi-POV story following one family across generations
- A thrilling historical romance with a shocking, unforgettable twist
About the Author :
E. L. Shen is the author of The Queens of New York, which is a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick. Her debut novel, The Comeback, was praised in The New York Times for its fast-paced prose, authentic dialogue, and big emotions. Her most recent novel, Maybe It's a Sign, is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. She currently lives in Connecticut with her husband. Learn more at elshenwrites.com.
Review :
"An immersive, movingly crafted multigenerational family story. Using the perspectives of three characters navigating parallel yet distinct experiences, Li engagingly explores legacy, identity, love, lies, and family ties while also integrating politics, immigration, and healthy (romantic) relationships." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"A whirlwind tale...layered characters and abundant historical detail keep emotions and tension high." - Publisher's Weekly
"This book is an exploration of identity, self-worth, and ultimately forgiveness of self." - School Library Journal
"I was utterly swept away by this novel--at once an intricate family saga, a romance, and a fraught immigration tale. E.L. Shen has crafted a truly unforgettable story for generations of readers to come." - Patricia Park, author of Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
"A moving story as much about a family secret slowly unraveling across generations as it is about the desperate longing for connection when survival demands disconnection." - Randy Ribay, award-winning author of Patron Saints of Nothing
"E.L. Shen's elegant and deeply personal novel proves there is no such thing as a 'small' secret, given its power and potential to tear a family apart. Inspired by the author's own family history, Foreigners is an epic yet also intimate exploration of the price paid when family secrets are passed down through the generations, from Qing Dynasty ancestor Duanfang's political intrigue to immigrant teen Zheng Yi Chin's 1965 tragic romance in New York's Chinatown to her granddaughter Dawn Chin's deeply repressed trauma that is getting harder and harder to contain. A seemingly simple history class interview assignment between Dawn and her grandmother quickly unravels as Dawn realizes her immigrant family were never foreigners in America... but to each other. Filled with romance and intrigue, E.L. Shen's book will have readers rooting for Dawn to bring her family closer together, no matter how painful the truth." - Paula Yoo, award-winning author of From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
