"Raise a glass: The first great book-club novel of 2016 has arrived.” —USA Today, 4/4 stars “A female, funny Henry James in Asia, Janice Y. K. Lee is vividly good on the subject of Americans abroad.” —The New York Times Book Review “Sex and the City meets Lost in Translation.” —The Skimm Janice Y. K. Lee’s New York Times bestselling debut, The Piano Teacher, was called “immensely satisfying” by People, “intensely readable” by O, The Oprah Magazine, and “a rare and exquisite story” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Now, in her long-awaited new novel, Lee explores with devastating poignancy the emotions, identities, and relationships of three very different American women living in the same small expat community in Hong Kong. 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. Atmospheric, moving, and utterly compelling, The Expatriates confirms Lee as an exceptional talent and one of our keenest observers of women’s inner lives.
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“We found ourselves racing through this exotic, sexy, heartbreaking book…We couldn’t wait to find out what happens to each of the women.”
— Glamour
“An emotionally gripping page-turner.”
— Elle“Combines a page-turning plot with intimate perceptions about Americans in Hong Kong.”
— More“Gorgeously wrought…The first must-read of 2016.”
— Marie Claire“We imagine we know these [expatriate] women, who are distanced from their work, friends, and family, but we don’t. Janice Y. K. Lee does.”
— Vanity Fair“Shine[s] a penetrating light on both the ups and downs of the expat experience and the resilience of the human spirit.”
— Literary Review (UK)“Hong Kong’s insular expat community [is] a world vividly depicted in this rich, character-driven novel.”
— BookPageBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Janice Y. K. Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong and went to boarding school in the United States before attending Harvard College. A former features editor at Elle and Mirabella in New York, she currently resides in Hong Kong with her husband and children.
Ann Marie Lee is a seven-time winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award for narration. She is a Los Angeles–based actress with television credits that include ER, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Nip/Tuck. Her stage performances for Broadway National Tours and regional theater include Peter Pan, As You Like It, Heartbreak House, and The Cherry Orchard.