The Expatriates

A Novel

By: Janice Y. K. Lee

Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee

"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.

Raw and Beautiful writing

What an Amazing book! Loved Every minute of it. The beautiful and raw descriptions of forgiveness and motherhood left me breathless. This book removed every fiver inside of my soul.

Amazing!

I loved this book! I will probably end up listening to it multiple times which I never do. The beginning seemed a bit strange to me but then everything fell into place. The story was moving and the narrator was ideal. I enjoyed every aspect of this book!

Surprised this wasn't rated higher!

Great Listen

Perfect performance, I enjoyed it very much! A world I knew nothing about. Would have given more stars if some of the characters had a slightly more realistic journey.

6 degrees of Separation

Would you consider the audio edition of The Expatriates to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed the reader, and I thought she really added appropriate humor, sorrow and emotion to this book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mercy. Growing up is never easy, but she did a good job trying.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the ending.

If you could take any character from The Expatriates out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Margaret. I would want to be a cheerleader for her grief.

Any additional comments?

Spoiler Alert. I really thought that the boy that Hillary was adopting would turn out to be Margarets child. I really hoped that would happen. Really enjoyed the book.

Good book for Hong Kong expats. Did not like reader.

A pretty good book about the many in and outs of Hong Kong expat existence. It was nice to revisit HK through the novel. The reader was very hard to listen to - as though she patronised the whole book.