What We Were Promised - Softcover

Tan, Lucy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316437190 ISBN 13: 9780316437196

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2019

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author

Lucy Tan grew up in New Jersey and has spent much of her adult life in New York and Shanghai. She received her B.A. from New York University and her M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was awarded the 2016 August Derleth Prize. Her fiction has been published in journals such as Asia Literary Review and Ploughshares, where she was winner of the 2015 Emerging Writer's Contest. This is her first novel.

Review

Longlisted for the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize
Named one of the Best of Books of 2018 by The Washington Post, Refinery 29, and Amazon
A Barnes and Noble Discover Pick

"What We Were Promised glows through its intimate, skillful prose. Tan's debut is a beautiful reckoning with the ever-changing definition of "home" - what it means to have, lose and find family again."―USA Today

""Charming debut novel. . . . Through a set of fascinating characters, Tan delivers a compelling story that raises questions about assimilation, family dynamics, and the personal reverberations of globalization."―National Book Review

"Dramatic and deeply moving, this would be perfect Oscar material."―Crystal Hana Kim, Washington Post

"Winner of Ploughshares' Emerging Writer award, Lucy Tan draws an astute portrait of a staid family thrown into disarray in this assured first novel. She does not explore the Tolstoyan adage of unhappy families, but rather throws a stone into the still pool of carefully balanced domesticity. With its measuring of expectation against reality, What We Were Promised showcases Tan's sharp eye for the intricacies of human relationships."―Shelf Awareness

"Fans of Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians series will especially enjoy What We Were Promised."―Refinery29

"A tightly crafted debut wrought with the measured voice of an expert craftsperson, Lucy Tan's WHAT WE WERE PROMISED is an exquisite exploration of class, family and self."―Bookreporter

"A luminous family saga"―Entertainment Weekly

"Intriguing debut novel. Set in Shanghai, made empathic with a multigenerational family saga, embellished with timeless class conflict, this story entertains and enlightens."―Christian Science Monitor

"The ultimate message of What We Were Promised is one all young, millennial readers can relate to."―Bustle

About this edition

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0316437190
• ISBN 13: 9780316437196
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336