Karissa Chen

'A layered, beautifully written, and deeply moving novel. Karissa Chen masterfully blends love, music, history, and heartbreak to create a sweeping tale that spans decades and continents' Abi Daré'[Homeseeking] weaves expertly between present and past, telling the story of childhood sweethearts who meet again late in life and are torn between looking back and moving on' Celeste Ng'As I tearfully turned the last page of Homeseeking, I knew that it had earned a place on my top shelf . . . unforgettable'Washington Post 'Mesmerising . . . its portrayal of ruptured lives is heartrending' Harper's BazaarThere are moments when a single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen and Suchi are teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai; their childhood friendship has blossomed into young love, and they believe that they are soulmates. But when Haiwen secretly decides to enlist in the army to keep his brother from the draft, their shared future is shattered. Their paths take them far afield from each other, with the exception of one pivotal chance encounter on the Hong Kong ferry in 1966. Sixty years later, Haiwen, now in his late seventies, is bagging bananas at a 99 Ranch in Los Angeles when he lifts his head to once more see Suchi. As they begin to rekindle their friendship, it feels like they might have a second chance to live the life they were supposed to have together. But the weight of the past lives with them at every moment, and only time will tell if they are able to forge something new. Told in alternating narratives, Homeseeking spans seven decades, through the most tumultuous period of modern Chinese history up to contemporary times, tracing the separated lovers as they migrate from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and America.'A love story in more ways than one, Homeseeking is a beautiful, nuanced look at Chinese history, family, young love, and the wisdom of age'Vanessa Chan

En episk og intim fortelling som følger et par gjennom seksti år mens verdensbegivenheter fører dem sammen og skyver dem fra hverandre. Karissa Chens debutroman utforsker hva det vil si å finne et hjem langt hjemmefra. Haiwen og Suchi er sjelevenner i Shanghai på 1940-tallet. Mens samfunnet rundt dem er i stadig endring, og krigen har brutt ut, har vennskapet deres har blomstret til ung kjærlighet. Men da Haiwen i all hemmelighet verver seg til hæren for å holde broren unna verneplikten, blir deres felles fremtid knust, og de må gå hver sine veier gjennom livet. Seksti år senere pakker Haiwen, som nå er i slutten av syttiårene, bananer på en ranch i Los Angeles da han løfter hodet og til sin store overraskelse får se Suchi igjen. Varsomt gjenoppliver de vennskapet, og det føles som om de kan få en ny sjanse til å leve livet de skulle ha sammen. Men tyngden av fortiden er stadig med dem. Er de i stand til å begynne på ny?

"A single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen is buying bananas at a 99 Ranch Market in Los Angeles when he looks up and sees Suchi, his Suchi, for the first time in sixty years. To recently widowed Haiwen it feels like a second chance, but Suchi has only survived by refusing to look back. Suchi was seven when she first met Haiwen in their Shanghai neighborhood, drawn by the sound of his violin. Their childhood friendship blossomed into soul-deep love, but when Haiwen secretly enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft, she was left with just his violin and a note: Forgive me. Homeseeking follows the separated lovers through six decades of tumultuous Chinese history as war, famine, and opportunity take them separately to the song halls of Hong Kong, the military encampments of Taiwan, the bustling streets of New York, and sunny California, telling Haiwen's story from the present to the past while tracing Suchi's from her childhood to the present, meeting in the crucible of their lives. Throughout, Haiwen holds his memories close while Suchi forces herself to look only forward, neither losing sight of the home they hold in their hearts. At once epic and intimate, Homeseeking is a story of family, sacrifice, and loyalty, and of the power of love to endure beyond distance, beyond time."

Haiwen er i færd med at købe bananer i et supermarked i Los Angeles, da han for første gang i tres år ser Suchi – hans Suchi. Suchi var kun syv år gammel, da hun blev fortryllet af Haiwens violinspil i deres barndomskvarter i Shanghai, og et uskyldsrent venskab udviklede sig siden til en glødende ungdomskærlighed. Men da Haiwen i 1947 melder sig til hæren, efterlades Suchi med hans violin og beskeden: Tilgiv mig. I 2008 er Haiwen for nylig blevet enkemand, og for ham føles det tilfældige møde med Suchi som en ny chance. Men hvor han har varme minder om fortiden, har Suchi søgt at undgå at se sig tilbage. Hjemlængsel følger Suchi og Haiwen gennem syv årtier, hvor krig, sult og globale begivenheder skiftevis skiller dem ad og fører dem sammen. Det er en beretning om den kinesiske diaspora og en intim fortælling om familie, ofre og loyalitet. Men først og fremmest er det en roman om kærlighedens kraft på tværs af tid og sted.

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK'A layered, beautifully written, and deeply moving novel. Karissa Chen masterfully blends love, music, history, and heartbreak to create a sweeping tale that spans decades and continents'Abi Daré'[Homeseeking] weaves expertly between present and past, telling the story of childhood sweethearts who meet again late in life and are torn between looking back and moving on'Celeste Ng'Wonderfully cinematic, gorgeously orchestrated . . . like any tried-and-true epic (think Pachinko or The Joy Luck Club) . . . Homeseeking is just a genuine pleasure to read'San Francisco Chronicle'As I tearfully turned the last page of Homeseeking, I knew that it had earned a place on my top shelf . . . unforgettable'Washington Post'One of the best debut novels of this century'Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThere are moments when a single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen and Suchi are teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai; their childhood friendship has blossomed into young love, and they believe that they are soulmates. But when Haiwen secretly decides to enlist in the army to keep his brother from the draft, their shared future is shattered. Their paths take them far afield from each other, with the exception of one pivotal chance encounter on the Hong Kong ferry in 1966. Sixty years later, Haiwen, now in his late seventies, is bagging bananas at a 99 Ranch in Los Angeles when he lifts his head to once more see Suchi. As they begin to rekindle their friendship, it feels like they might have a second chance to live the life they were supposed to have together. But the weight of the past lives with them at every moment, and only time will tell if they are able to forge something new. Told in alternating narratives, Homeseeking spans seven decades, through the most tumultuous period of modern Chinese history up to contemporary times, tracing the separated lovers as they migrate from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and America.'A love story in more ways than one, Homeseeking is a beautiful, nuanced look at Chinese history, family, young love, and the wisdom of age'Vanessa Chan

'[Homeseeking] weaves expertly between present and past, telling the story of childhood sweethearts who meet again late in life and are torn between looking back and moving on . . . kaleidoscopic yet intimate' - Celeste NgThere are moments when a single choice can define an entire life. Haiwen and Suchi are teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai; their childhood friendship has blossomed into young love, and they believe that they are soulmates. But when Haiwen secretly decides to enlist in the army to keep his brother from the draft, their shared future is shattered. Their paths take them far afield from each other, with the exception of one pivotal chance encounter on the Hong Kong ferry in 1966. Sixty years later, Haiwen, now in his late seventies, is bagging bananas at a 99 Ranch in Los Angeles when he lifts his head to once more see Suchi. As they begin to rekindle their friendship, it feels like they might have a second chance to live the life they were supposed to have together. But the weight of the past lives with them at every moment, and only time will tell if they are able to forge something new. Told in alternating narratives, Homeseeking spans seven decades, through the most tumultuous period of modern Chinese history up to contemporary times, tracing the separated lovers as they migrate from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and America.

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK "Homeseeking is about the love of home and family, even against unimaginable circumstances... A] sweeping epic." --Good Housekeeping "Fans of historical fiction will want to pick up this exceptional novel immediately." --Los Angeles Times From WWII to 2008, this deeply moving story follows one couple across sixty years as world events pull them together and apart, illuminating the Chinese diaspora and exploring what it means to find home far from your homeland. Haiwen is buying bananas at a 99 Ranch Market in Los Angeles when he looks up and sees Suchi, his Suchi, for the first time in sixty years. To recently widowed Haiwen it feels like a second chance, but Suchi has only survived by refusing to look back. Suchi was seven when she first met Haiwen in their Shanghai neighborhood, drawn by the sound of his violin. Their childhood friendship blossomed into soul-deep love, but when Haiwen secretly enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft, she was left with just his violin and a note: Forgive me. Homeseeking follows the separated lovers through six decades of tumultuous Chinese history as war, famine, and opportunity take them separately to the song halls of Hong Kong, the military encampments of Taiwan, the bustling streets of New York, and sunny California, telling Haiwen's story from the present to the past while tracing Suchi's from her childhood to the present, meeting in the crucible of their lives. Throughout, Haiwen holds his memories close while Suchi forces herself to look only forward, neither losing sight of the home they hold in their hearts. At once epic and intimate, Homeseeking is a story of family, sacrifice, and loyalty, and of the power of love to endure beyond distance, beyond time.