The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok #bookreview

Thank you to William Morrow, #partner, for an advanced copy of The Leftover Woman in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: William Morrow

Published: October 10, 2023

Summary:

An evocative family drama and a riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different women–from the New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation.

Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth–another female casualty of China’s controversial One Child Policy. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she’s forced to make increasingly desperate decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter.

Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a prestigious family name and the wealth that comes with it, a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. She’s even hired a Chinese nanny to help her balance the demands of being a working wife and mother. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardize not only Rebecca’s job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble and her role in her own family is called into question.

The Leftover Woman finds these two unforgettable women on a shocking collision course. Twisting and suspenseful and surprisingly poignant, it’s a profound exploration of identity and belonging, motherhood and family. It is a story of two women in a divided city–separated by severe economic and cultural differences yet bound by a deep emotional connection to a child.

My thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read by Jean Kwok but it will certainly not be my last. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jean a few times this past year and I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since she mentioned it to me…and what an amazing story it was!

I was pulled into this book right from the very first page and I sat spell-bound until the very end…unable to put it down, reading it in two sittings. It was such a powerful, thought-provoking read that crosses genres in such a compelling, yet complex way. It’s a mystery, thriller, literary and historical piece all wrapped up in one layered story that doesn’t hold back any punches.

Having the story told from two different women, both mothers, made for a very tense, addictive story. These women could not be more different from each other socially, economically, and culturally but yet they both yearn to have the same things – the love of their child being first and foremost.

This is not a long book, coming in at just under 300 pages and yet it has so much packed into it. It’s a complicated family drama that really hit me in all the feels and then some. Between the beautiful prose and the way that the author was able to create such a suspenseful page-turner while also exploring another culture is simply amazing and I am hesitant to say much more for fear of spoiling the story, though I will say that I loved the way the two parts eventually came together…it happened in a way that I was not expecting and I loved that! I love when a book can sneak up on me like that.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is sure to be one of my top reads of the year and I will be telling everyone I know to pick this one up!