Foreigners
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Sept 22, 2026
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Pachinko and Last Night at the Telegraph Club, this propulsive, tender novel follows an immigrant family across generations as they navigate love, belonging, and the great fictions we must weave to preserve a legacy.
For centuries, the Chin family has kept its secrets.
In 1878, Duanfang knows he’s destined for greatness. He’ll do anything to uphold and protect the legacy of his Manchu family—even if it means hiding his past.
In 1965, Zheng Yi flies from Taiwan to New York City to have a shot at attending an American college. Thrown into a world of parties, prejudice, and a tumultuous romance, Yi worries that New York may be more than she can handle. But just as she is beginning to adjust, she must make a shocking decision that will irrevocably change her life and her future forever.
Today, Dawn Chin’s family is opaque at best, with heavy expectations and heavier silences. But an assignment to interview her grandmother is about to crack open her real family history: a legacy hundreds of years old, and a lie decades in the making . . .
An ambitious, literary gemA multi-POV story following one family across generationsA thrilling historical romance with a shocking, unforgettable twist
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A legacy of deception and manipulation follows generations of a Chinese family living in mainland China, Taipei, and the United States throughout this rapidly paced story, which Shen (The Queens of New York) relays via three alternating timelines. Having earned a scholarship to attend Beecher Preparatory in 1965 New York City, teen Zheng Yi is heartened by the belief that she'll find more opportunities in N.Y.C. than in Taipei, though she must leave her family behind. Meanwhile, in present-day New England, high school senior Dawn Chin struggles to persuade her emotionally distant grandmother into talking about her experience emigrating from Taiwan to the U.S. Though Nai Nai claims to have moved to New Hampshire for high school, the teen realizes that the story is a lie when she finds newspaper clippings of Nai Nai as a teenager in N.Y.C. A third thread set in 1878 follows Duanfang, a distant relative of both Nai Nai and Dawn whose powerful, wealthy family hides a dark secret. Tidy plotting spins a whirlwind tale that leans on unexpected twists and soap opera ambiance, while layered characters and abundant historical detail keep emotions and tension high. It's an uneven yet page-turning yarn. Ages 13–up.
