Shanghailanders tells the story of the wealthy and cosmopolitan Yang family – Leo and Eko and their three daughters, Yumi, Yoko, and Kiko. The novel begins in 2040 and tells the family’s story in reverse going back to 2014, while weaving in memories of Leo and Eko’s childhood, as well as the stories of supporting characters in their lives such as their driver and nanny. Certainly the Yang family is not an average Shanghai family, with their wealth, ability to travel internationally, and access to expensive foreign education. But they experience many of the same transitions and emotions as any family – loneliness and alienation, boredom, marital conflict, ambition, sibling rivalry and jealousy.

This is a very unusual and well-constructed novel with many fine, overlapping layers, and writing that is beautifully and poetically simple. I felt like we had only scratched the surface of these complex characters, that showed multiple different versions of themselves to different audiences. There is a pervasive sense of isolation throughout the novel, as if the characters are never truly known to each other and are always a bit foreign to their country and each other. It is quite a feat for a debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Juli Min. Sincere thanks to Speigel and Grau for the digital copy.