A catastrophic disaster in China triggers a mother’s heartbreaking choice and a daughter’s reconciliation with the past in AFTERSHOCK, the engrossing novel by Zhang Ling, author of A Single Swallow and Where Waters Meet. Perfect for fans of Amy Tan, Lisa See, and Min Jin Lee.
“Translated from Chinese, award-winning author Zhang’s latest book traces the fractures of Xiaodeng’s past and present, weaving in vignettes from her mother, brother, and husband to craft a multigenerational saga. This beautiful, quietly profound story examines the resilience and fragility of humans in the face of disaster. But at its heart, AFTERSHOCK is about family and how we protect the ones we love.” – Booklist
In the summer of 1976, an earthquake swallows up the city of Tangshan, China. Among the hundreds of thousands of people scrambling for survival is a mother who makes an agonizing decision that irrevocably changes her life and the lives of her children. In that devastating split second, her seven-year-old daughter, Xiaodeng, is separated from her brother and the mother she loves and trusts. All Xiaodeng remembers of the fateful morning is betrayal.
Thirty years later, Xiaodeng is an acclaimed writer living in Canada with a caring husband and daughter. However, her newfound fame and success do little to cover the deep wounds that disrupt her life, time and again, and edge her toward a breaking point. Xiaodeng realizes the only path toward healing is to return to Tangshan, find her mother, and get closure.
Spanning three decades of the emotional and cultural aftershocks of disaster, Zhang Ling’s intimate epic explores the damage of guilt, the healing pull of family, and the hope of one woman who, after so many years, still longs to be saved.
Here’s the impressive lineup of bloggers who will post reviews, features, and giveaways. We hope you will follow along:
2/5 – Kera’s Always Reading
2/6 – Nurse Bookie
2/7 – We Love Big Books and We Cannot Lie
2/8 – Suzy Approved Book Reviews
2/9 – Reading with Nicole
2/12 – Lilacs and Literature
2/13 – Aimee Dars Reads
2/14 – Purrfect Pages
2/15 – Totahly Booked
2/16 – Secret Reading Life
2/19 – Love My Books 2020
2/20 – Books and Coffee MX
2/21 – Michelle Loves Books
2/22 – Sue the Bookie
2/22 – Meg’s Book Club
2/23 – Danish Mustard Reads
2/25 – Subakka Bookstuff
2/26 – Dai 2 Dai Reader
2/26 – The Maddie Hatter
2/27 – Reading with Melann Rosenthal
2/28 – Lexijava
2/29 – Gloriana Wong
3/1 – Books n Bikram
