What It Is About: The setting is Shaker Heights which is in Ohio. The Richardson family is center stage. Elena Richardson leads her family in the most "perfect" way. Or so it seems to the outside world. Mia and her daughter Pearl arrive in Shaker Heights which is one of many moves they have experienced. Pearl is in high school and meets one of the Richardson children as soon as they move in. Mia is an artist and seems to be running from her past. Mia couldn't be more different from Elena, but their lives seems to intersect in more ways than one. When a Chinese-American baby is left abandoned in Shaker Heights, a custody fight ensues which draw in both Elena and Mia. Not only will they have conflict, but their children will get caught in the cross-fire.
What I Thought Of It: This novel had too much hype I think before I read it. That seems to happen. When a book gets a lot of press, talk, and praise; it doesn't always match up to the expectations. I enjoyed the story, but didn't LOVE it. There were parts that were more enjoyable than others, but overall it was a solid story. The character development was top-notch and the writing was quite good. I thought it would be a bit more of a "page-turner", or can't leave my car, but I found that wasn't the case. I'm glad I read/listened to it and the novel was a great one to end the year with.
Who Should Read It: Based on all of the positive reviews of the story, I would say this is a wonderful choice for adult readers. If you read Celeste Ng's first novel, then you can't miss her sophomore book. Not to offend anyone, but in my opinion, the story would appeal more to the female reader than male. Happy Reading!
Rating: 4 STARS out of 5 Stars
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