The Distant Land of My Father

An bold man and his adoring daughter are separated and estranged by an ocean and by the tides of historical past on this “marvelous” novel (Los Angeles Times).
For Anna Schoene, rising up within the magical world of Shanghai within the Nineteen Thirties creates a particular bond between her and her father. He is the son of missionaries, a smuggler, and a millionaire who leads a charmed however secretive life. When the household flees to Los Angeles within the face of the Japanese occupation, he chooses to remain, believing his connections and luck will preserve him secure.
He’s incorrect—however he survives, solely to once more select Shanghai over his household through the Second World War. Anna and her father reconnect late in his life, when she lastly has a household of her personal, however it is just when she discovers his intensive journals that she is ready to absolutely perceive him and the explanations for his absences. The Distant Land of My Father is a “beautiful” novel “for everyone who has ever felt himself in exile from any beloved place, or a time that can never return” (The Washington Post Book World).
“Seamlessly weaves together Anna’s own memories with those of her father, gleaned from the journals . . . An elegant, refined story of families, wartime, and the mystique of memory.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Vivid with details of prewar Shanghai and Los Angeles.” —Publishers Weekly
“Lush and epic.” —San Jose Mercury News
“Remarkable . . . A moving tale of love and the possibility of forgiveness.” —Library Journal