Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee

The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee
Published by Viking January 2016
Source: my copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Publisher's Summary:
Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all.


My Thoughts:
In June of 2009, I read Lee's The Piano Teacher. It was one of the first books I reviewed (as you can tell by my review!). I didn't do a favorite books list in 2009 so I don't know if it would have made a top ten list that year; but, six years later, when I was pitched this book, I still remembered being really impacted by that book. I was eager to see if Lee could have that kind of effect on me again.

I'm afraid I have mixed feelings about The Expatriates. 

The expatriate community is, perhaps, the most important character in the book. Because of Hong Kong's unique history, its expat community and relationship with the people of the city is also unique. Each of the ladies finds themselves in a different place in the expat community which is much less homogenized that you might imagine yet remains limited to certain parts of the city. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the lives of these people who live in something of a state of limbo.

As a mother, I absolutely connected with Margaret's story, her pain, her inability to move on from the terrible thing that happened to her family.  Hilary was tougher to connect with, to understand; she is a woman who seemed to want a child for all of the wrong reasons (although her situation is certainly not uncommon). I never could connect with Mercy, someone who seemed to have decided that she would never do anything right and seemed resigned not to bother to try. She may have been the character closest to Lee's heart, though; both are daughters born of Korean parents in a different country.

It took me a while to really be pulled in equally to each woman's story but when they all began to become intertwined, I definitely enjoyed the book more. Unfortunately, the ending struck me as both too neat and tidy (although I did appreciate that not all loose ends were tied up) and incredibly hard to buy into. Still, for a look into a world that is utterly unique and for Margaret's story alone, The Expatriates was well worth reading.

11 comments:

  1. Hello Lisa. Thanks for the review. When you mentioned this book I looked into reserving this book at the lending library. Unfortunately it's not even on a list of books to be obtained for their collection I'll make a note of it as it sounds an interesting milieu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Check if they have her book, The Piano Teacher, which is also set in the expat community of Hong Kong but a whole different time frame. That one I really enjoyed a lot.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, I've now reserved The Piano Teacher from our local library.

      Delete
  2. I've been fascinated with this book since I first read about it. I'm going to make a point of trying it. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for giving your experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'll be eager to hear what you think of it if you pick it up!

      Delete
  3. Hmmm... This book has been on my TBR as I liked the premise and it sounds a bit different than my usual reading. I don't love the disconnection with the characters and the ending not quite working. Great review! I still want to read this but I'll definitely lower my expectations.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Still a lot to find interesting in it and any time I can learn about a different world than the one I live in, it's a good thing.

      Delete
  4. I hate neat and tidy endings. Ugh. I adore the cover of this book though. It's magnificent. I own a copy of The Piano Teacher. I was given it as a gift one year and I totally forgot about it. Should I pick it up?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I really enjoyed that one a lot - same venue, same expat community except a whole different time frame. This one did have a big piece that wasn't resolved and while a part of me longed for it to be, a part of me knew the book was better if it weren't.

      Delete
  5. I have not read this author's work before, although I know my mother enjoys them. Someday. :-) I am sorry this one wasn't better for you, Lisa, but I am glad you felt it was worth reading. The subject matter does interest me. I'll have to keep it in mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You know, I'd give it a solid 3+ if I number ranked books and, really, any book that ranks that well is one worth picking up if it interests a person.

      Delete