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Shanghailanders by Juli Min - 2* - My Review

This is a family saga told in reverse. It starts in 2040 and moves back in time to 2014. At the opening, Leo is a Chinese engineer, and his wife, Eko, is Japanese but grew up in France. They live in Shanghai and have three young adult daughters. We start with the daughters. Each has a unique personality, and they do not get along. We then move backward to the stories of their parents. I was intrigued by the premise and unconventional structure, but by the end, it made me realize why stories are generally told from beginning to end, rather than the other way around, since any dramatic tension that could have developed is completely negated by already knowing what happens. The first third of the book is the most interesting. As it goes back in time, it gets dull and even boring. The prose is decent but very restrained. I’m chalking this one up to a failed experiment. It is the author’s debut.

PBT November BWF Extra S/M - fits letters not tag