Book Review – Homeseeking by Karissa Chen

About the Book

There 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.

Format: eBook (474 pages) Publisher: Sceptre
Publication date: 7th January 2025 Genre: Historical Fiction

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My Review

The book spans seven decades and several continents, from Shanghai in 1938 to Los Angeles in 2008, and is told in alternating narratives. With a few exceptions, Suchi’s story is told forwards while Haiwen’s story is told backwards. There are scenes seen from both their points of view, bringing home painfully things said or left unsaid that might have changed the course of their lives. Their stories converge at one point when concidence or, if you prefer, fate brings them together. At other times there are ‘near misses’ but mostly it’s a story of separation between two people who in other circumstances might have spent their lives together.

Both make sacrifices: Haiwen when he enlists in the army so his brother is not conscripted and suffers worse treatment than would a volunteer; and Suchi when she endures a loveless marriage for the sake of her sister, Sulan.

As they age, both Suchi and Haiwen are reluctant to revisit the past because it is too full of painful memories or because it might confirm their fears about the fate of loved ones. Haiwen’s brief visit back to Shanghai in 1983 demonstrates how much has changed about the place he grew up. We too can recognise the changes because of the evocative descriptions of the place during his and Suchi’s childhood.

Suchi and Haiwen’s stories unfold against a backdrop of a tumultuous period in Chinese history. This is exemplified in the changing fortunes of Shanghai, a Chinese city with enclaves controlled by the British and the French, occupied by the Japanese, and fought over by Nationalist and Communist forces during the Chinese Civil War. 

The book explores the theme of identity, for example through the use of names. Suchi and Haiwen are known by different names in Shanghainese and Cantonese and adopt the names Sue and Howard when they move to America. Homeseeking is a story of displacement, of people uprooted from their birthplace through war, circumstance or the desire for a better life. The search for an opportunity to return to their roots or to find a new place that can feel like ‘home’ is at the heart of the book.

I really became invested in Suchi’s and Haiwen’s lives, hoping that both might find fulfilment and realise their dreams. In some ways they do but perhaps differently from how they might have imagined.

Homeseeking is a compelling story that explores many interesting issues and is beautifully written. I’ll confess though that the narrative structure and changes of timeline left me confused at times and the ‘back to front’ way Haiwen’s story unfolds often left me thinking ‘I already know that’. If, as a reader, you can get around this you will find Homeseeking a rewarding read. It’s certainly an impressive debut given its ambitious scope.

I received a review copy courtesy of Sceptre via NetGalley.

In three words: Powerful, authentic, emotional
Try something similar: Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

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About the Author

Karissa Chen is a writer who splits her time between New Jersey and Taipei, Taiwan. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic and PEN America, among others, and she has been the recipient of numerous fellowships, including from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Fulbright, Kundiman and VONA Voices. Formerly the senior fiction editor at The Rumpus, she currently serves as the editor-in-chief at Hyphen magazine. She received her MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. (Photo: Goodreads)

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