Books Set in Asia; India

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters, by Balli Kaur Jaswal (2019)

Read:  July 4, 2025

4 Stars

Books Set in North America, New England

Something Wild, by Hanna Halperin (2021)

This novel is about domestic violence.

Sisters Tanya and Nessa Bloom are horrified to discover that their mother is in an abusive relationship with their stepfather.  Although their mother, Lorraine, has been with Jesse for over 16 years, the sisters haven’t lived at home for years.  When their mother and stepfather decide to move from Boston to rural New Hampshire, the sisters go to help with the move.

Almost as soon as the sisters arrive to help their mother, Jesse attempts to strangle Lorraine.  He is so violent that Lorraine is left with two bloodshot eyes.  Tanya, who works in the District Attorney’s Office in Boston, encourages her mother to file a restraining order against Jesse.  She does but fails to provide sufficient information in the form to give the judge cause to sign an order.  Jesse promises to reform, and even go to couple’s therapy with Lorraine.  Although Tanya fears the worst, Lorraine agrees to take Jesse back, because she loves him and believes that he can reform.

It was very well written, although a subplot involving the sisters as teenages seems a bit misplaced.

Read:  March 10, 2024

4 Stars

Books Set in Asia: Beijing, China

Kitchen Chinese, by Ann Mah (2010)

 

After aspiring writer Isabelle Lee lost her job as a fact-checker at a prestigious women’s magazine in New York, she decided to lick her wounds with a trip to China where her much older sister was living and working as an attorney.  Claire introduces Isabelle to Ed, who is the editor of Beijing NOW, a magazine aimed Expats.  Although her grasp of the language is limited to “kitchen Chinese”, Isabelle knows her Chinese food ~ it was what her emigrant mother prepared for her when she was growing up.  Isabelle lands a job as food writer for the magazine.  She soon learns, however, that live in China is quite different from live in New York.

 

Each chapter describes a different regional Chinese food.  The author’s descriptions of the dishes make one’s mouth water.  Recipes are found at the back of the book!

 

Read: July 30, 2023

4 Stars