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Happy Family: A Novel (2008)

by Wendy Lee(Favorite Author)

3.12 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0802170463 (ISBN13: 9780802170460)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Grove Press, Black Cat

review 1: A truth (which should be universally acknowledged) is that there is a cluster of elements binding all young people arriving in the U.S.: apprehension, anticipation, the allure of material and political freedom. There are often considerable barriers of language to be overcome; personal boundaries of adaptation and assimilation; cultural lines that are to be crossed and those to remain un-crossed. If a new persona is assumed, what might the peer group say? Often-unspoken forms of banishment and isolation follow: he or she simultaneously juggles identities and manners, ever and never at home within any setting. In Happy Family, novelist Wendy Lee artfully, surgically, and, without judgment, examines all these elements among a handful of well-drawn Chinese-Americans confrontin... moreg Western society. When a smart immigrant, hired as a nanny, bonds with a Chinese tot, likewise orphaned and adopted by a well-meaning upper-middle-class (white) couple in an uncertain relationship, fundamental ties of nationality and family are tested. We are who we are. This truth unfolds thro the refreshing sensibility of a new yet already accomplished author.
review 2: As one of the reviews on the back cover states, “A beautifully written portrait of a young Chinese immigrant finding her way in New York City.” This book addresses the one-child law of China and the phenomenon of American families adopting Chinese babies, all within the context of this very personal narrative by a young woman who immigrates from China and struggles to find a place for herself. I loved this small book – a quick read in one day! I'd give it 4 1/2 stars but the rating doesn't have this category. I highly recommend it! less

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