Saturday, May 16, 2015

Books Set in Asia: Shanghai

The Lost and Forgotten Language of Shanghai, by Ruiyan Xu (2010)

Li Jing was a happily married man with a young son and a very successful financial business.  While enjoying a meal with his father in a grand hotel, there is a sudden gas explosion that destroyed the building.  A shard from the explosion pieces his head, leaving him unable to speak Chinese.

Li Jing had spent his formative years in the United States, so while he is no longer able to speak Chinese, his English is pushed to the forefront.  His wife and child, however, cannot understand him. The family hires Rosalyn Neal, a young American neurologist, to help him regain his language skills.  Rosalyn, however, speaks no Chinese, so cannot communicate with Meiling, Li Jing's wife, or Pang Pang, Li Jing's son.

Rosalyn and Li Jing spend hours together and form a bond that seems to fracture his marriage with Meiling.

3 Stars

Read: May 16, 2015

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