River East, River West: A Novel

<b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION</b><br><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE CAROL SHIELDS PRIZE                                                       </b><br><b>FINALIST FOR THE MAYA ANGELOU BOOK AWARD</b><br><b>SHORLISTED FOR STANFORDS' FICTION WITH A SENSE OF PLACE AWARD</b><br><b>LONGLISTED FOR THE DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD</b><br><b>FINALIST FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS BOOK AWARD</b><br><br><b>Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, this mesmerizing literary debut is part coming-of-age tale, part family and social drama, as it follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world&mdash;perfect for readers of <i>Behold the Dreamers</i>, <i>White Ivy</i>, and <i>The Leavers.</i></b><br><br>Shanghai, 2007: Fourteen-year-old Alva has always longed for more. Raised by her American expat mother, she's never known her Chinese father, and is certain a better life awaits them in America. But when her mother announces her engagement to their wealthy Chinese landlord, Lu Fang, Alva's hopes are dashed, and so she plots for the next best thing: the American School in Shanghai. Upon admission, though, Alva is surprised to discover an institution run by an exclusive community of expats and the ever-wilder thrills of a city where foreigners can ostensibly act as they please.<br><br>1985: In the seaside city of Qingdao, Lu Fang is a young, married man and a lowly clerk in a shipping yard. Though he once dreamed of a bright future, he is one of many casualties in his country's harsh political reforms. So when China opens its doors to the first wave of foreigners in decades, Lu Fang's world is split wide open after he meets an American woman who makes him confront difficult questions about his current status in life, and how much will ever be enough.<br><br>In a stunning reversal of the east-to-west immigrant narrative and set against China's political history and economic rise, <i>River East, River West</i> is an intimate family drama and a sharp social novel. Alternating between Alva and Lu Fang's points of view, this is a profoundly moving exploration of race and class, cultural identity and belonging, and the often-false promise of the American Dream.

Aube Rey Lescure is a French-Chinese-American writer who grew up between Shanghai, northern China, and the south of France. After receiving her B.A. from Yale University, she worked in foreign policy and has co-authored and translated two books on Chinese politics and economics. Aube's debut novel, River East, River West, has been shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024, the Carol Shields Prize, the Maya Angelou Book Award, and the Stanfords Fiction with a Sense of Place award. It was also longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. Her fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared or are forthcoming in Granta, Guernica, LitHub, Electric Literature, The Millions, WBUR, The Florida Review Online, Litro, and more. Her essay "At the Bend of the Road" was selected for Best American Essays 2022. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine Off Assignment.