Homeseeking by Cynthia Chen absolutely wrecked me in the best way. It’s the kind of book that burrows deep and refuses to let go. The story follows Suchi and Haiwen, childhood sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai, whose lives are torn apart by war. Decades later, in 2000s Los Angeles, they find each other again, but not without carrying everything they’ve been through along the way.

What hit me hardest was how real these two felt. The book alternates timelines—Suchi’s story moves forward, while Haiwen’s moves backward—and it’s like watching their lives unfold in opposite directions until they meet in the middle. You already know the big moments, but seeing how they happen makes it all so much more heartbreaking.

The writing is stunning, but it’s also raw and unflinching. Chen doesn’t simplify the languages the characters speak—Mandarin, Shanghainese, Cantonese, Taiwanese, English. She just lets it be, which made me feel the weight of how hard it must be to carry so many versions of home and identity.

This isn’t just a love story—it’s about survival, family, and the pieces of ourselves we lose or hold onto over time. There are definitely some pacing issues in the middle, and I wish we got more detail in certain parts of their lives, but honestly, I didn’t care. By the time I turned the last page, I was in tears, completely gutted but also so glad I got to live in this story for a while.

If you like books that feel personal, that make you think about life and love and all the “what-ifs,” I can’t recommend this one enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam.

Epic is the only word that resonates with me to describe this novel. The author beautifully wrote it, and I found it difficult to put down. It left me with a lot of thoughts and feelings. Family relationships can be the same and yet different across cultures. Chen's book was fascinating. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen is a poignant exploration of identity, belonging, and the search for home. Through evocative prose and rich storytelling, Chen weaves together the personal and the political, capturing the complexities of immigration, cultural dislocation, and the yearning for connection. The characters are deeply relatable, and their struggles with finding a place in a world that often feels divided are both heartbreaking and hopeful. While the pacing can be a bit slow at times, the emotional depth of the narrative makes it a compelling read. Overall, a thoughtful and beautifully written book that resonates long after you’ve turned the final page. 4/5 stars.

*review will be posted on IG 1-week before release date*

I was able to read this thru NetGalley and it is an amazing novel about a young man and a young woman from their childhood in Shanghai as children in the 1940s till they reunite in the United States when they are elderly. It’s both educational about the political situations thru those years and follows the lives of the 2 main Character's and their families. It took a while to engage but ultimately it is worth the read.

HOMESEEKING is an ambitious and mightily impressive debut novel spanning seven decades and four countries/territories. Some questionable writing choices meant it lacked the full emotional impact I usually want in my reads, but overall this is still one that I would recommend for readers seeking stories about this untold period of East Asian history.

First, what worked for me. It is clear that Chen did copious amounts of research for her novel, yet the historical information never overwhelms the narrative arc. I also have great admiration for how Chen manages to present so many different sides of the 20th-century East Asian political turmoil in such an empathetic and respectful manner: the Chinese Nationalists, the Chinese Communist party, the Cantonese people of Hong Kong who navigated British rule and their own unique culture, the local Taiwanese who were batted between oppressive governments for too long. It’s quite rare to find books that navigate this historical era without taking sides, let alone humanize the millions of civilians who had suffered all in their own separate ways. I was also absolutely on board with the way in which Chen changed the names of the main characters depending on which decade/country the chapter was set in, which was a simple yet powerful way of showing just how complex linguistic identity and politics were during this era.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure if the book’s key selling feature–that of the dual perspectives of Haiwen/Howard and Suchi each being told in a different order, Suchi’s chronologically and Haiwen/Howard’s in reverse–worked for me, as I felt that it instead made the pacing drag and gave us only “snapshots” of the two MCs instead of a full understanding of who they are. I felt like the way the chapters were arranged shook me out of my reading immersion every time one chapter ended and I fumbled to reorient myself to a new decade/country/perspective. It’s also strange because arranging the book in this way kind of took away from the reason to read it, since we already know that the two will meet one another again in their senior years. Furthermore, the chapters felt jumpy because each chapter was essentially Haiwen and Suchi taking turns talking to different people. It felt as if each chapter/decade was written out in scenes heavy on dialogue and lacking in any other narrative devices that would pull the plot along.

I felt bad because while I felt bad for Haiwen and Suchi, I didn’t like them all that much. I suppose that the point could be that war and political upheaval will shatter the lives of the ordinary, but both Haiwen and Suchi felt absolutely ordinary to me. Suchi in particular grated on my nerves because she spent so much time being stubborn, and I couldn’t tell if it was because she is simply a headstrong, albeit silly, woman, or if it was out of fear of possible repercussions, both personal and political.

And therein lies my biggest issue with HOMESEEKING: I don’t feel as if I get a clear sense of who Haiwen and Suchi are. I almost feel like the secondary characters are more clearly drawn than them. I found myself craving a more kaleidoscopic telling featuring multiple characters’ perspectives à la Pachinko, instead of simply following Haiwen and Suchi. By the end, I got thoroughly tired of following Haiwen and Suchi around while still not feeling like they have grown or learned anything from their lives.

I think comparisons to Pachinko may be overshooting things a bit; HOMESEEKING reminded me more of Yangsze Choo’s writing, if you’re into that. A little quieter. A little slower. A little more ordinary. Overall, a great introduction into the impact of 20th-century East Asian history on the lives of civilians, as long as you don’t go in wanting to fall in love with the two main characters.

An epic tale that moves between narrators, time and place to tell the story of Haiwen and Suchi, who meet as children in Shanghai and are later separated by war. It's a melancholy tale. Haiwen, a talented violinist, ends up a soldier first fighting and later stationed in Taiwan where he marries. He later moves with his wife and children to the US. Suchi, who loves to sing, is sent along with her sister, to Hong Kong where she struggles to support them. They meet again in the 1980s but it's not a straightforward second chance romance, not at all. No spoilers on their journey, which has more than one twist. Don't be intimidated by the foreword that explains the differences in language and naming conventions- I promise you won't notice and will know who everyone is at all times. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Chen has written a layered atmospheric novel that will sweep you up and keep you turning the pages. Terrific read.

Karissa Chen's "Homeseeking" is a captivating love story that spans decades, weaving together themes of resilience, family bonds, and cultural adaptation. The novel opens with a chance encounter between the protagonists, Suchi (Sue) and Haiwen (Harold), immediately drawing readers into their intertwined destinies.

Chen's masterful use of non-linear timelines and alternating points of view provides a rich, multifaceted narrative. This structure allows readers to intimately experience the characters' journeys from their first meeting through the various stages of their lives, creating a tapestry of shared experiences and individual struggles.

The author's skillful character development shines through in the portrayal of Suchi and Haiwen. Suchi's resilience in the face of adversity is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, while her roles as a supportive sister and devoted mother add depth to her character. Haiwen's journey is equally compelling, offering a counterpoint to Suchi's experiences.

Beyond the central love story, "Homeseeking" is a profound exploration of family dynamics. Chen delves into the lasting impact of war on both families, illustrating how historical events can shape generations. The novel also tackles the challenges of cultural integration, portraying Suchi and Haiwen's experiences as they navigate life in China and later in the USA. Their silent struggles to maintain their cultural identity while adapting to new environments are portrayed with sensitivity and authenticity.

For readers who enjoyed "Pachinko" and "Daughters of Shanghai," "Homeseeking" offers a similar blend of historical depth and personal narrative. Chen's storytelling evokes the emotional resonance of Asian telenovelas, adding a layer of nostalgia to this already rich tale.

"Homeseeking" is a testament to love's endurance and the power of family ties across time and borders. Karissa Chen has crafted a moving, multi-layered narrative that will resonate with readers long after the final page.

Thank you, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley, for my free e-book for review.

I am really closing out this year of reading with a bang - I have read so many amazing five-star books in the last couple months, and this was one of the best books I've read this year.

This is a sprawling story that alternates timelines and perspectives between Haiwen and Suchi, two teenagers in Shanghai in the 1940s whose lives are continuously ravaged and upended by civil war, dictatorships, and surveillance states. This novel covers truly staggering amounts of history and conflict, but Chen grounds us on every single page in Haiwen and/or Suchi's interior lives and struggles.

At its core, this is a love story, both between Haiwen and Suchi and between each of them and their families. It is almost unbearably sad to imagine the sacrifices everyone at the time had to make for safety - the descriptions of how decades passed without family members being able to see each other, talk to each other, or even know if their loved ones are still alive are absolutely heart wrenching, and Chen writes so powerfully about what it means to be unable to return to the place you call home. Each character has to make traumatic and impossible decisions that haunt them forever, but they also figure out how to create lives they can be happy with despite the turmoil. From this review it might sound like this book is depressing and a hard read, and at times it's definitely incredibly sad, but my overall feeling when I was reading this book was hopefulness. Haiwen and Suchi are earnest and incredibly compassionate, and the way the narrative switches through time and between Shanghai, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New York, and LA is really masterful and evocative. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalleys & G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the eARC.

I enjoyed this book. A coming of age, reflection, multi-POV, multi-timeline book had my emotions all over. The loss & heartache, the love lost and life lived is heart breaking but also heart warming. I did like that I had to research bits and pieces of the culture that I was not aware of or did not understand. I do feel like at times there was so much I didn’t understand and it was overwhelming thus took away from the storyline for me.

a coming of age and long time told story about two protagonists, Haiwen and Suchi. very interesting, and i loved the characters. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

A historical fiction book that follows the love story of Haiwen and Suchi over decades from their childhoods in Shanghai to their lives in the United States. The first chapter of the book was off-putting and had me question if I wanted to devote my time to this long book. (You might want to skip it and save it to read until the end.) The non-linear timelines didn't work for me but otherwise, this was an engaging book filled with heartbreak and joy where I learned a bit more about the Chinese Civil War/Chiang Kai-Shek/Taiwan.

I am not a big fan of historical fiction, but this book was wonderful and an easy read. The story is written throughout different points of Suchi and Haiwen's life, which made me feel closer to the characters as well as helped to gain the full picture of their life/love story. It is a very emotional book and truly makes you think about the "what ifs" of life. My one qualm is that although we got to see various pieces of Suchi's life, it was not enough to help me understand why she seemed to have given up. I know it was a culmination of moments in her life, but I would have liked more detail from her life in Hong Kong with her family and Sulan. I would have also loved to have gotten more information on Haiwen's life in the war and with Linyee. I feel because there was so much need to jump around and tell the story from both Suchi and Haiwen's perspective, we missed out on some moments that could have given more depth to the story. This is why I am dropping off a star, otherwise it was a great read and I highly recommend it!

My goodness what a fantastic novel this is! The detail is so rich, and throughout the book I found myself continuing to root for Haiwen and Suchi. It almost felt like a Romeo + Juliet situation, however it wasn’t their families keeping them apart per se, it was ultimately one choice made by a character that set the rest of their lives into motion. This should be on everyone’s TBR for 2025. Thank you to NetGally and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

Two teenage sweethearts in 1940s Shanghai are torn apart by China's civil war and spend decades wondering what could have been.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Homeseeking by Karissa Chen is a third person multi-POV nonlinear timeline literary novel exploring a friendship and later tragic romantic relationship across decades. Suchi and Heiwan live in the same neighborhood in Shanghai before the beginning of WWII. As teenagers, their future marriage seems assured despite Suchi’s mother’s disapproval of Heiwan and his more Westernized family, but their plans are thrown off course when they’re separated and the tumultuous decades following the end of the Japanese occupation keep them apart. In their twilight years, they meet yet again in America.

Heiwan and Suchi go by many different names in the novel due to linguistic differences between Shanghainese, Mandarin, and Canonese as well as the English names the two picked up. Because they most often used ‘Heiwan’ and ‘Suchi’ when they thought of each other, I shall be using these two names for the sake of consistency in my review.

This is definitely not a romance genre novel proper because of the tragic elements, but Suchi and Heiwan’s romance is one of the best tragic romance arcs I’ve read in a long time. No matter how much time passes, their hearts do still belong to each other, even if they have to come to terms with the fact that they’ll never get back all those years they spent apart. Of the two of them, Suchi is the one who is the most desperate to move on and resistant to restarting their relationship while Heiwan wants whatever he can get. Both have been married to other people, both have children and grandchildren, they’ve lived full lives, so it’s easy to see why Howard wants to use the time he has left to be with the person he loved the most while Suchi is afraid to do so. I rooted for them even knowing what was coming because of the novel’s nonlinear structure. I choked up when they were so close to having a chance to be together.

The linguistics in here is one of my absolute favorite parts of an already wonderful novel. Years ago, one of my Cantonese friends told me about the history of the Cantonese language and how important it is to remember that, in China, more than Mandarin is spoken and how some languages native to China are not mutually intelligible. This is really given a chance to shine with the different names used on the page for Suchi and Heiwan, as the pronunciations as written in English clearly indicate that they are not quite the same even if the characters written in hanzi would be. The different names also help indicate very different times in both Suchi and Heiwan’s lives. Heiwan goes by Howard in America and that’s his life as a man who has lost his wife, has grandchildren, is retired, and only now can truly start to consider being with the love of his life. Meanwhile, Suchi takes a different name while living in Hong Kong and it’s the name of her motherhood and her own marriage.

The impact of China’s history in the twentieth century on the common person is allowed to shine. Heiwan’s family is fairly Westernized with Heiwan playing the violin and his older brother studying in the UK and taking a Eurasian wife. His father is later accused of Communism and of being a traitor to the latest regime. His grandchild doesn’t want to be called Chinese but instead Taiwanese, something that Howard struggles with due to his own lived experiences despite having lived in Taiwan and taking a Taiwanese wife. Suchi’s father has radical, progressive ideas different than his wife who had her feet bound as a child and is adamant that both of his daughters receive a full education. Anyone who has studied modern Chinese history would be able to see how these pieces all fit together and the tragedy coming for Heiwan and Suchi and their families.

Content warning for depictions of sexual assault and domestic abuse

I would recommend this to fans of literary novels exploring a single relationship across decades, readers who are interested in modern Chinese history, and those who love prose exploring the intricacies of language

HOMESEEKING takes on a massive narrative scope, following two protagonists from their youthful, romantic days in 1940s Shanghai to their rediscovered relationship as elderly adults living in the 2000s U.S. Their names, Zhang Suchi and Wang Haiwen, shift depending on the era of their lives and its subsequent language. Though separated and forced through shattering losses by the tumult of the Sino-Japanese War, World War II, and the Cultural Revolution, Suchi and Haiwen have strong yuanfen (fate potential) that draws them back together over time. Suchi’s narrative marches linearly forward from her girlhood days while Haiwen’s, beginning in the present, moves toward the past until they’re finally reunited in the middle of their timeline—before their timelines glide past each other again, moving opposite directions.

To put it concisely, this is a beautiful, layered, and very well-constructed debut. It’s both emotional and educational. One of the things that most impressed me about HOMESEEKING was its linguistic multivalence; the characters weave in and out of Mandarin, Shanghainese, Cantonese, Taiwanese and English throughout the novel to encompass the various aspects of their lives and their attempts to find home in the diaspora. Chen issues a foreword that explains she refuses to alter Chinese words to make them more readable to an English-speaking audience, not only out of integrity to the characters’ undiluted meaning but also to give English readers a sense of how it feels to navigate an unfamiliar language. I appreciated this approach a lot and enjoyed picking up new pieces of language as I went through.

Though this book is long—and dense in ways that are reminiscent of multigenerational epics like Min Jin Lee’s PACHINKO or Yaa Gyasi’s HOMEGOING—I sank into it easily. Every time I was away from it, I wanted to get back to it, even when certain parts filled me with dread or secondhand despair. The narrative framing allows the reader to know certain events are unavoidable, fixed points, and wonder at how things will unfold to reach them. And ultimately, these characters felt like real people to me, so my heart broke for Haiwen, Sulan, and especially Suchi. HOMESEEKING will end up one of my top reads of the year, and I’d highly recommend snagging it when it drops in January.

What an epic! When I started this book, I had no idea how involved it would be. By the end, I felt like I had known Suchi and Haewen my whole life. I will admit I knew very little about the Chinese civil war and the Chinese diaspora before reading this book, but I appreciate how much I learned about it through this story. I am a character driven reader so I was so enthralled to read about the lives of Suchi and Haewen and how through their lives and the further they moved from home, how that affected them and their growing need to return. Chen is immaculate at invoking the settings of each part of their lives. Chen makes her characters so real and developed whether or not they are only on a few pages or nearly all of them. I will admit this was a tough read for me, but that was because of the intense emotions that this book elicited from me. It left me reeling a bit from all the grief and trauma and I will be cleansing my palette with lighthearted reads for the time being, but it was well worth it! I can’t wait until this is released so I can make everyone I know read it!

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It’s almost difficult to put into words just how beautiful this story is. The writing is absolutely stellar; the characters are flawless and truly lovable; and the storyline is impeccable. Add to that the theme of family being more important than anything, and you have an unforgettable novel surely to become an instant classic. Homeseeking, by Karissa Chen, is breathtaking and the ending is beautiful. Ms. Chen is a gifted storyteller with pitch perfect prose. Please treat yourself to this endearing novel. If you’re anything like me, you will cherish every word.

I really liked this novel! I've been reading quite a few novels set in Shanghai during the beginnings of war and the shifting of the guard in China, and this novel moves back and forth between past and present. It has a very good pace to it, and I found the pages flying by as I devoured this story. It's very well-written.

Synopsis:
This story follows two characters with several names, with each name representing a different side of the character at a specific point in time (more on that later). For simplicity's sake, I'll just call them Haiwen and Suchi for most of this review.

Haiwen and Suchi, who grew up in the same neighbourhood in Shanghai, suddenly bump into each other at a market in LA after being apart for over 60 years. Spanning from 1945 Shanghai during the tail end of WWII and the resurgence of the Chinese Civil War, to 2008 Los Angeles (with other destinations in between), Homeseeking tells a heart-wrenching story of how the two met, how they were separated during the war, how they reconnected, and all the history that was left unsaid between the two of them during their time apart.

Review:
Homeseeking, much like Daughters of Shandong (which I highly recommend), depicts the hardship and displacement of many Chinese families during the Chinese Civil War. It's a story of how war tears families and loved ones apart by forcing people to make difficult decisions to protect their families, and how it destroys hopes and dreams. More importantly, it's also a story about survival and assimilation.

I loved how this book tackled these important themes while also telling the story of how Haiwen and Suchi found each other. Their story is tragic, beautiful, and feels so real. If you told me this was based on a true story, I would believe it.

I'd like to note that I loved the incorporation of various sinitic languages. Thankfully, I have the benefit of knowing Mandarin and Cantonese, with limited knowledge of Shanghainese (from my brief time living there) so I understood most of the words and intended pinyin/anglicization of the words that were incorporated in some of the dialogue. Despite my Mandarin having a Taiwanese accent, I unfortunately don't know any Taiwanese (although the word 'laupa' was easy enough to guess - I imagine it's Taiwanese for 老爸) so many of the Taiwanese words were left to guess work based on context. I imagine other readers (especially any readers who don't speak any sinitic language) will struggle with these aspects of the book. Although the notes section at the end of the book offers some explanations and translations, it doesn't provide a glossary for all the sinitic words and terms that were used throughout the book.

Finally, although I don't normally enjoy books that jump back and forth in time, I loved how it was done in this book. It made sense for Haiwen's narrative to move backwards in time since he's someone who always looks back and tries to remember the past in the hopes of keeping all his cherished memories and loved ones alive in his thoughts. Meanwhile, Suchi's narrative starts in the past on moves forward as she pushes forward to survive and refuses to dwell on the past and the painful memories that it brings up.

A note on Chinese names:
I loved how this book incorporated various languages and names to represent the different characters at different points of their lives.

For Suchi Zhang (this being the Mandarin pronunciation and the official language of China, so the language that they had to use at school), she also went by:
- Suji Tsan (Shanghainese - her native tongue, spoken at home with family),
- Susu (childhood nickname),
- Soukei Cheung (Cantonese - when she lived in Hong Kong), and
- Sue (English - when she moved to the USA)

For Haiwen Wang (Mandarin), he also went by:
- Haeven Waong (Shanghainese),
- Doudou (childhood nickname), and
- Howard (English).
- Note: If Haiwen ended up living in Hong Kong, his Cantonese name would likely be pronounced Hoiman Wong (this is based on the assumption that his Chinese name uses the following characters: 王海文)

This is a very authentic and what I believe to be a very accurate portrayal of what it was like to be Chinese then (and even now), where many of us have multiple names or different ways to pronounce our names depending on the number of dialects and languages that we speak. For example, my grandparents spoke Hakka when they grew up in China (and likely would have had to learn Mandarin if they had stayed there any longer), then spoke Cantonese when they fled to Hong Kong (in which their names would be pronounced differently in Cantonese), and spoke English when they immigrated to Canada with anglicized English names. They also ended up legally changing their English names when they converted as Catholics so in total, my grandparents had 4 names that they went by, each representing a different era in their life, much like how Haiwen and Suchi have different names to represent the different lives they've led.

TLDR/Final thoughts:
This was an impressive debut novel that portrays an important story about the Chinese diaspora that I'm certain will resonate with many Asian Americans of Chinese descent whose parents/grandparents had fled to Taiwan and Hong Kong during the war before eventually immigrating to North America (much like my grandparents and countless others).

Perhaps this is just my greediness that's talking, but I really wanted more out of this book in terms of building up the reunion and rekindling the relationship between Haiwen and Suchi.