Jasmine, the first protagonist of the story we are introduced to, is struggling to settle in America, always hunting for new jobs and opportunities. Forced into an arranged marriage as a young teenage girl, she is a character whose complexity is revealed smoothly, as the story unfolds. She has many secrets to hide, many of them not revealed until the end of the story, but the secrets she hides are usually involving and particularly aimed at saving other persons.
Her impossible double is Rebecca, with a successful career in publishing and a life one can only dream about. She just adopted an Asian child she does not have enough time to spend with, leaving her instead with a nanny, Lucy, who feels like a family member. But the perfect life starts to have many cracks and under pressure, she is just about to lose the control of her thoughts and life.
Historical circumstances - among others, China´s one child policy - may bring those destinies together, in a story who is emotional and full of unexpected turns of events as well. Kwok´s writing is charming, in the sense it can create destinies of everyday people, highly outlining and bringing more human light into historical events and mentalities.
The Leftover Woman is one of the best historical fiction focused on women characters I´ve read this year, a recommended read to anyone curious about American-Asian history but also keen to discover a fine writer.
Rating: 5 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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