RABBIT MOON by Jennifer Haigh is a unique novel mostly taking place in Shanghai that I couldn’t put down. 

Lindsey is a twenty-two year old American living in Shanghai when she is involved in a hit and run. Her divorced parents are summoned to Shanghai as she clings to life in the hospital. This story shows the perspectives of each of the four members of the Litvak family: Claire (mother), Aaron (father), Lindsey, and her younger adopted sister Grace. 

The Shanghai setting comes alive, with me wanting to visit there. Haigh’s adept writing unfurls the narrative at a good pace. The reader is intrigued and wants to know more (WHY did Lindsey choose the path that she did?), and at that moment Haigh tells you more. Even the minor characters, like Lindsey’s friend Johnny, are written with a lot of nuance. 

If there is a quibble to be had, it’s that I felt invested in the minor characters and wanted to know more from and about them. 

I have read almost everything Haigh has written, and this one knocks it out of the park as a character-driven, unique, dysfunctional family novel that I won’t soon forget.  

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown & Co. for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an unbiased review. 

RABBIT MOON publishes April 1, 2025.