What We Were Promised

An Amazon Best Book of July 2018: Lucy Tan is a wonderful storyteller. Using smooth prose, carefully developed characters, and Shanghai set against the backdrop of greater China, her debut What We Were Promised brings the Zhen family back to Shanghai to join the upper class after twenty years in the U.S. We see this life through the eyes of characters like husband Wei and wife Lina, but we also see life through the eyes of Sunny, a housekeeper who sends part of her wages back to her family. Tan employs secrets and family drama to drive the plot, all the while examining themes of rich and poor, individualism and tradition, future and past, boredom and ambition. The real joy of this book is getting lost in the characters, some of whom will remain with you long after you have finished the novel. Lucy Tan is an author to watch. –Chris Schluep