Monkey King - by Patricia Chao (Paperback)

About the Book

This critically acclaimed first novel transports readers into the vibrant and sometimes harrowing world of a Chinese-American family as a young woman explores the past in order to come to terms with her hidden demons. "(Chao is) a gifted stylist with a penetrating eye for detail".--"Los Angeles Times Book Review".

Book Synopsis

Monkey King  tells the story of 28-year-old Sally Wang, a Chinese-American woman whose mental breakdown and sojourn in a hospital set her firmly on the path of memory. Her recovery takes place against a rich tapestry of culture and personality that unfolds before our eyes under the Monkey King's ghostly shadow. For Sally has been living with a terrible family secret, one that has shattered her life. How she pulls together her Chinese and American identities into a cohesive self and rejoins the land of the living is recounted with a wry and refreshing honesty.

From the Back Cover

Monkey King  tells the story of 28-year-old Sally Wang, a Chinese-American woman whose mental breakdown and sojourn in a hospital set her firmly on the path of memory. Her recovery takes place against a rich tapestry of culture and personality that unfolds before our eyes under the Monkey King's ghostly shadow. For Sally has been living with a terrible family secret, one that has shattered her life. How she pulls together her Chinese and American identities into a cohesive self and rejoins the land of the living is recounted with a wry and refreshing honesty.

Review Quotes

"Clearly, Monkey King marks the debut of a gifted stylist with a penetrating eye for detail."--Los Angeles Times"A considerable achievement, the work of a writer worthy of serious attention."--New York Times Book Review"What makes this a classy first novel is Chao's luminous prose, the evocations of the immigrant experience, and her intelligent sympathy for the frailties of her characters."--Washington Post Book World"With cleanly understated prose and exquisite imagery, Chao skillfully laces past and present, China and America, into a compelling tale of one woman's fight for her life and her identity." --Chicago Tribune"[Sally Wang] is a universal character whose struggle for identity anyone can identify with." --Time"A haunting first novel. . . . A brave and auspicious debut." --San Francisco Chronicle