LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/OPEN BOOK AWARD
Compellingly complexExpands the future of the immigrant novel even as it holds us in uneasy thrall to the past. Gish Jen, New York Times Book Review
Combining the emotional resonance of Home Fire with the ambition and innovation of Asymmetry, a lyrical and thought-provoking debut novel that explores the complex web of grief, memory, time, physics, history, and selfhood in the immigrant experience, and the complicated bond between daughters and mothers.
On the night of June Fourth, a woman gives birth in a Beijing hospital alone. Thus begins the unraveling of Su Lan, a brilliant physicist who until this moment has successfully erased her past, fighting what she calls the minds arrow of time.
When Su Lan dies unexpectedly seventeen years later, it is her daughter Liya who inherits the silences and contradictions of her life. Liya, who grew up in America, takes her mothers ashes to Chinato her, an unknown country. In a territory inhabited by the ghosts of the living and the dead, Liyas memories are joined by those of two others: Zhu Wen, the woman last to know Su Lan before she left China, and Yongzong, the father Liya has never known. In this way a portrait of Su Lan emerges: an ambitious scientist, an ambivalent mother, and a woman whose relationship to her own past shapes and ultimately unmakes Liyas own sense of displacement.
A story of migrations literal and emotional, spanning time, space and class, Little Gods is a sharp yet expansive exploration of the aftermath of unfulfilled dreams, an immigrant story in negative that grapples with our tenuous connections to memory, history, and self.
**Discover the Haunting Beauty of "Little Gods: A Novel" by Meng Jin** Delve into the intricate tapestry of family, memory, and displacement with Meng Jin's critically acclaimed novel, "Little Gods." This compelling story, longlisted for the PEN/Open Book Award, transcends the traditional immigrant narrative, offering a profound exploration of grief, identity, and the enduring power of the past. Praised by Gish Jen in the *New York Times Book Review* as "compellingly complex," and for "expanding the future of the immigrant novel," "Little Gods" resonates with readers long after the final page. On a pivotal night June Fourth a woman named Su Lan gives birth alone in a Beijing hospital, setting in motion a chain of events that will reverberate through generations. Su Lan, a brilliant physicist, has spent her life meticulously erasing her past, resisting the relentless march of time and the memories that haunt her. But when she dies unexpectedly seventeen years later, her daughter, Liya, inherits the burden of her mother's silences and contradictions. Liya, raised in America, embarks on a poignant journey to China, carrying her mother's ashes to a land that is both foreign and strangely familiar. In this land of ancestral spirits and unspoken truths, Liya seeks to understand the mother she never truly knew. Her quest leads her to Zhu Wen, the last person to know Su Lan before she left China, and Yongzong, the father Liya has never met. Through their interwoven memories, a fragmented portrait of Su Lan emerges: an ambitious scientist driven by intellectual curiosity, an ambivalent mother struggling to reconcile her aspirations with her maternal role, and a woman whose relationship with her past irrevocably shapes her daughter's sense of belonging. "Little Gods" is more than just an immigrant story; it's a story of migrations literal and emotional that traverse time, space, and social class. Meng Jin masterfully explores the aftermath of unfulfilled dreams, the challenges of navigating cultural divides, and the tenuous threads that connect us to our history, our memories, and ultimately, ourselves. This reprint edition offers a chance to experience Meng Jin's lyrical prose and insightful observations on the human condition. With echoes of Celeste Ng's "Everything I Never Told You" and Min Jin Lee's "Pachinko," "Little Gods" is a must-read for anyone interested in Asian American literature, historical fiction, and stories that grapple with the complexities of identity and family. Explore the depths of human connection and the enduring power of memory in this unforgettable novel.