A very compelling look at a Chinese-American family in the midst of small-town America. The pacing was difficult in the first half of the book, it was a very slow burn and felt like work to keep reading, but the characters and their relationships kept me invested enough to keep going. I'm glad I did.

I knew I wanted to read Lan Samantha Chang's latest book after hearing her speak at a Booklist webinar. I was intrigued by her comment about humor and suffering existing together but rarely shown in literary fiction. Writing The Family Chao was a way for her to communicate what her childhood experience was like. She grew up in an immigrant household in the Midwest where they were poor but ambitious. Her family was loud, and laughed and yelled at each other, yet had so much warmth and a sense that they were in it together. Chang discovered that Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov was a great outline for telling the story she wanted to tell.

In the first part of The Family Chao, we meet the three Chinese American brothers who have each inherited some characteristics of their father, Leo. Dagou is handsome, loud, full of passion and desire. He has been living at home in Haven, Wisconsin for the past six years and helping his father with the family restaurant. Ming is the intellectual who has become successful to beat everyone who had bullied him during his childhood. He has detached from his family and lives in Manhattan. James, the good son, is an unambitious pre-med student who wants love more than anything else. Their mother, Winnie, has left their father and lives in the Buddhist Spiritual House. She has called her sons home shortly before Christmas for a luncheon at the temple where the spiritual leader will foretell their futures. I found the first part of the book leisurely paced and character focused.

The humor wasn't what I expected. Leo conveys physical humor through his obnoxious and rude behavior; he mocks everyone and everything. There is irony in Dagou's frantic spending to make the Christmas dinner an event of greatness. Ming's suffering prevents him from seeing what is right in front of him. James unknowingly does things that have major repercussions. There are a lot of references to dogs. The language Leo and Dagou used when talking about the female characters was crude and very sexual.

I started enjoying the story much more during the second part of the book - I couldn't put it down. I loved the intricate story full of foreshadowing details. I loved how you learn what really happened. I keep thinking about these characters days after finishing the book. I'd like to read another book where the women are the protagonists; Katherine was my favorite. I loved the intimate picture of the family's life and how the three brothers understand so much more by the end of the book. Highly recommend, especially for readers who like themes of family gatherings or immigrant experiences.

Thank you to NetGalley and Norton for the ARC!