River East, River West

by Aube Rey Lescure

Set against the backdrop of developing modern China, this mesmerising literary debut is part coming-of-age tale, part family and social drama, as it follows two generations searching for belonging and opportunity in a rapidly changing world.

Shanghai, 2007: Fourteen-year-old Alva has always longed for more. Raised by her American expat mother, she’s never known her Chinese father, and she is certain a better life awaits them in America. But when her mother announces her engagement to their wealthy Chinese landlord, Lu Fang, Alva’s hopes are dashed. She plots for the next best thing: the American School in Shanghai. Upon admission, though, Alva is surprised to discover an institution run by an exclusive community of expats and the ever-wilder thrills of a city where foreigners can ostensibly act as they please.

1985: In the seaside city of Qingdao, Lu Fang is a young married man and a lowly clerk in a shipping yard. Although he once dreamed of a bright future, he is now one of many casualties in his country’s harsh political reforms. So when China opens its doors to the first wave of foreigners in decades, Lu Fang’s world is split wide open after he meets an American woman who makes him confront difficult questions about his current status in life and how much will ever be enough.

In a stunning reversal of the east-to-west immigrant narrative and set against China’s political history and economic rise, River East, River West is an intimate family drama and a sharp social novel. Alternating between Alva and Lu Fang’s points of view, this is a profoundly moving exploration of race and class, cultural identity and belonging, and the often-false promise of the American Dream.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, China, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Historical, Asia

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 9, 2024

About the author

Aube Rey Lescure is a French-Chinese-American writer. She grew up between Provence, northern China, and Shanghai, and graduated from Yale University in 2015. Aube’s debut novel, River East, River West, has been shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024, the Carol Shields Prize, the Maya Angelou Book Award, and the Stanfords Fiction with a Sense of Place award. It was also longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the Massachusetts Book Award. Her fiction and creative nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Granta, Guernica, LitHub, Electric Literature, The Millions, WBUR, The Florida Review Online, Litro, and more. Her essay “At the Bend of the Road” was selected for Best American Essays 2022. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the literary magazine Off Assignment.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but Lescure did some interesting things with a reverse immigration story that tackles the implications of American expats in China. CW: underage alcohol consumption, sexual assault, emotional abuse, grooming, suicidal ideation, suicide, loss of a child, parental neglect

River East, River West is told in dual perspective following two different timelines of the main characters Alva, Lu Fang, and Sloan. Beginning in 2007, readers meet Sloan's daughter Alva who desires to leave China for the United States, but settles on attending the American School in Shanghai after Sloan marries their Chinese landlord Lu Fang. What follows is an interesting insight to race, class, culture and what it means to feel "in between" different aspects of one's identity.

What Worked: Lescure is a gifted storyteller. Alva, Lu Fang, and Sloan are difficult characters to like. In fact, there were specific moments where I couldn't stand any of them; however, I never lost interest in trying to figure out what was happening next. Through them, readers learn so much about the impact of American expats in China. The way White Americans would flock to the country in order to re-define their identities socially, politically, and economically, utilizing their whiteness as a means of advancement was beautifully crafted into the characterization of Sloan. Through the dual narrative perspective of Lu Fang and Alva, readers learn more about her intentions with and treatment of the Chinese as a way to boost her own ego and position in society. In the same respect, Lescure develops the character of Lu Fang against the backdrop of cultural and economic changes in China. Dissatisfied with the results of his life, he makes decision that cause waves of unexpected upheaval. Through Lu Fang and Sloan's character development, comes the development of Alva's coming of age story both heartbreaking and devastating, but a clear picture of what it feels like to be caught between two worlds.

What Didn't Work: I did not like the characters. Alva was more bearable because her narrative felt like more of a coming of age story typical of a teenager sharing her experiences. However, Lu Fang and Sloan gave me a run for my money. There were moments where I felt for them, but others where they both disgusted me.

Overall, this was an interesting debut. I would definitely check out the content warnings, but this idea of reverse immigration worked for me.

[Bkwmlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I finished reading this book, my first thought was that this was an interesting read and very different from what I initially expected going into it (my second thought was: This is a debut? It certainly didn’t read like one!). Given my background, I naturally gravitate toward immigrant stories (especially the ones involving immigrants from Asian countries to Western ones), where I know I will encounter experiences similar to my own – so when I read the summary for this one and saw that it would be a reversal of the traditional east-to-west immigrant story, I was definitely intrigued. Though having said that, I will admit I was also a bit concerned, as I associate “west-to-east immigrant narrative” with “story about the expatriate community in Asia” – as someone who came from a place with a long history of colonialism (the former British colony of Hong Kong), I am more than familiar with how the expat community operates and to be honest, it’s one of my least favorite things to read about (I guess you can say that I’m sick of picking up a book about an Asian country expecting to read about the local community and culture, only to find out it’s actually about expat shenanigans told from an expat perspective, with very little about the culture of the country itself). Add to that the fact that I’m also not a fan of “rich people behaving badly” stories (which is what many expat stories essentially boil down to), so of course, I was quite weary going into this one and was bracing myself for a potentially unpleasant reading experience. While there did indeed end up being quite a bit of “unpleasantness” in the story (those who’ve read this book will know what I mean), I was actually surprised by how different this one turned out from the typical expat stories that tend to glamorize the expat lifestyle. In her podcast interview with Books & Boba, the author Aube Rey Lescure talked at length about her inspiration for this book (I absolutely recommend listening to the interview after reading the book, as she provides some great insights and I actually appreciate the book a lot more than I would have otherwise) – one of the things she said that struck a chord with me is that she wrote this book not as a glamorization of the expat lifestyle, but rather, as an “anti-expat takedown” of sorts, highlighting the impact that the presence of these expats, with their indifference and condescension (and excessive, indulgent, high-riding lifestyles), had on the local Chinese community. Thinking back through the story after hearing Lescure say this, I see now that was the same sense I had gotten while reading this one, which is probably why I was able to appreciate this story more than other expat stories I’ve read.

In her interview, Lescure describes her book as a coming of age / family drama / social novel set in China, which is definitely an apt description. In her discussion with the hosts about this being an inversion of the usual east-to-west immigrant story, Lescure said that she couldn’t write the typical China to America immigrant story because that wasn’t her experience. Instead of being a story about Chinese immigrants in America, this one revolves around an American expat Sloan raising her biracial daughter Alva in modern-day (2007-2008 time period) Shanghai, China. Lescure said that her mother (who is French) separated with her father (who is Chinese) and raised her as a single mom in Shanghai – she went to the local Chinese public school for 8 years, then transferred to what she called a “budget” version of the international school for 2 years; significantly, her mother was a “renegade” who didn’t want to be part of the expat community, so their lifestyle was an unrooted one where they spent much of her childhood moving across Shanghai, renting one apartment after another. Throughout the story, Lescure included many cultural details and nuances to capture what her experience of growing up in Shanghai as a biracial teenager was like – she especially wanted to capture the granularity of her Chinese school experience and show how different it was from the international schools that the expat kids went to (fun Easter egg for those who’ve read the book: Lescure said that the test question scenario was from real life – she had answered that exact question the same way and got marked wrong…it was a moment of revelation for her about the education system in China). Something that Lescure did clarify was that even though certain elements of the story were based on her own experience, the sections about the expat community and lifestyle she actually did not experience, as those were based on what she heard from people she knew.

One of the things that stood out with this story is the way Lescure juxtaposed the two entirely different worlds – the nuances of the local Chinese community in which she grew up versus the glitz and glamor of the expat community – presenting both realistically to the point that it felt immersive. At the same time, she also interweaves the story of Lu Fang, the Chinese businessman whom Alva’s mom Sloan marries at the beginning of the story – the dual timeline narrative alternates between Alva’s perspective in the present (2007-2008) and Lu Fang’s perspective starting in 1985 and spanning decades, with both timelines ultimately converging in the present, in a way that I honestly did not see coming. In a sense, this story isn’t just about Alva’s coming of age, but also of Lu Fang’s, which I felt was an interesting way of structuring the story. I’ve mentioned in other reviews that with immigrant stories, we oftentimes get to hear from the immigrant child’s perspective, but rarely from the adults / parents’ perspectives, so I appreciated that with this story, Lescure chose to go in a different direction and give us Lu Fang’s story as well. For me, this added emotional depth to the story, especially at the end, when we find out some of the things that happened to Lu Fang and the impact this has on his relationship with Sloan and Alva.

Overall, this was a worthwhile read, though some parts will not only be difficult to stomach, but will also tick some people off (I certainly felt angry and frustrated with some of the things that happen) – of course, this means that there will be trigger warnings galore. Also, the characters aren’t too likable in here – the kids I could empathize with, but the adults (specifically the parents) I honestly could not stand (except for maybe Lu Fang at certain points in the story). Although with that said, after hearing Lescure describe her purpose for writing the characters the way she did and what she was trying to achieve by doing so, it did make me dislike them a little less.

The unlikable characters and some of the plot points aside though, another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed were the various cultural references (especially the Chinese ones), as well as the untranslated Chinese characters and phrases sprinkled throughout the story. In her interview, Lescure talks about this and mentions that the meanings of most of the Chinese words can be picked up from context (this is true, as majority of the Chinese was either translated or explained), but there are a few instances where only readers who know the Chinese language will pick up on (like the scene near the end with the Chinese poem, which was actually my favorite scene from the story). I always enjoy coming across things I recognize in books that I read – it makes the reading experience more fun and engaging (and the difficult aspects a tad more tolerable).

If you decide to pick this one up, I definitely recommend also listening to the author’s Books & Boba interview, as it puts the entire book in greater perspective. Like I mentioned earlier, I came to appreciate the book on a much different level than I would have otherwise.

Received ARC from William Morrow via NetGalley.

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Update : Shortlisted for Women's Prize for Fiction 2024

My first book from the Women's Prize for Fiction 2024. This is a conventional novel about the internal tensions of being a citizen of the US or China and desiring to live in the other country. The book accomplishes what it sets out to do: showing the path to the middle. Perhaps it's a bit naive, but I choose to admire the bravery in addressing a seemingly taboo subject.

[Isabel Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Christ I have so many thoughts on this book.

First and foremost, I have never experienced reading a book that was so vivid in imagery and paralleled my own life in so many ways. I hunger for books that reflect parts of me, and why Asian American authors have always held a special place in my heart. But this book is a testimony to the parts of my identity I have never seen reflected in any media. Alva grows up in Shanghai, and the events take place in 2007-8, I moved to Shanghai in 2008. Lu Fang was born in 1949, the year the birth of the people’s republic of China, just like my grandma. My grandpa’s life was also uprooted by the cultural revolution, this was when he was thrown in jail. Like Lufang, my family come from the DongBei. The author went to SMIC, where I also attended my first two years in Shanghai. Alva and her mom lived in an apartment across the street from Century Park, I lived in an apartment across the street from Century Park. At several points in the book, when they were talking about specific restaurants or malls I knew exactly what streets they were on and how everything looked.

Aube Rey Lescure does a phenomenal job at capturing her environment. She is able to show the rapid changes in a developing nation (for example, through the detail of the DVD man selling his counterfeit movies on the side of the street before moving to a van and has to sell plants as a cover because of crackdowns), loitering around Family Mart as a middle school hang out, and both the reverence and disdain held for laowais. The actual obsession w H&M everyone had because it was the only common foreign clothing brand in China. Even better, she aptly describes the desperate desire of the American dream for many Chinese citizens, the way expats trample the city as if they own it, using their white privilege to receive special treatment, with complete disrespect for their ayis and drivers and locals, Alva’s constant obsession with being more American, and the sexual exploitation of asians by white people.

The characters in this book are so unlikeable, but I think she did a great job with not romanticizing and calling out the expat lifestyle.

SPOILERS AHEAD: my thoughts on all of the characters, ranked from most to least vile.

Daniel Craig: Literally die and go fuck yourself. Empty promises to naive fifteen year olds. Raping a fifteen year old. Blaming it on her for coming onto him. Good for Alva for reminding him he had cough syrup ready to use as lube. Hated him because he’s a Disgusting man making sexual advances on a child but in the last chapter when he says “good thing it didn’t happen in America”….. death to him. The actual epitome of white expats coming into China and acting like it’s their playground, knowing that they would never have to face any consequences because of their foreignness and ability to bribe their way out of things. I am so mad.

Sloan: I hate her. Boring basic white girl who is nobody in America and has to live in China to feel something, to feel unique. Congrats on making living in China your entire personality. Several white people I follow on instagram still make Shanghai their entire personality, sorry u have nothing else going for u. Any redeemable part of her was completely erased when she BERATED HER DAUGHTER FOR GETTING RAPED BY A WHITE MAN. terrible mother.

Zoey + itnl students: a life of absolute comfort and having people wait on you every step of the way, a luxury they would never experience in America. The way everyone would just boss around their drivers and be so fucking rude to them made me so angry. Alva has a constant desire to experience the wealth and Americanness of her peers at the international school, and it really hit home.

Lu Fang: incredible that a man that cheats on his 8 month pregnant wife is somehow the second most redeemable character in the book. he is exactly what happens when you spend your entire life thinking what if? what if my college didn’t get interrupted and i got a degree? what if i had the opportunity to work abroad? Instead of dealing w the cards he got dealt and building new dreams, he let his old ones haunt him, take over his entire life, force impossible standards to his son and drive his kid to suicide. terrible father. Him and sloan deserve each other. Can’t wait for u to realize how hollow the American dream is and for u to live a life of misery here.

alva: insufferable but forgivable given that she is 14 when the book starts. Desperate for the attention of boys and white men, thinking it means she is more valuable. Not wanting to be mistaken for an ordinarily local Chinese girl. Has a lot to unpack.

Justice for Lufangs wife and son, they deserved so much more.

All in all, this book captured being an expat in Shanghai excellently. A lot of these themes I thought about a lot while I lived there but it was so normalized. It’s hard to being an Asian expat, getting to experience some of the benefits of being an expat, but not fully. Wondering if you also disrespect the city and it’s people, if you could also be part of the problem. But the best part was getting to see my childhood reflected in a book, to see my beloved Shanghai written about.

Will end this with the same quote Michelle wrote in her review:

Shanghai was her world. The only nature she knew were it’s willows and man-made lakes, the only sky it’s milky-orange canopy. She’d been raised to the beats of its drills and swings of its cranes, to the glow of its neon lights, and the density of its crowds. Here, China converged, and toward China the world now converged. It was her own beating heart.

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though are parts that are really quite hard to digest.

The story of Sloan, her daughter Alva and Lu Fang is set in Shanghai and moves easily between time frames and points of view. The cast of characters is quite small so easy to keep up with who's who and the timeline.

The story is ostensibly set at the point of Alva being 15 in 2008. She is rebelling against the party school she attends with its strict regime and lack of freedom. She longs to go to the American School, she wants her mother as partner back again and she wants her mother's husband, Lu Fang gone.

As the story develops we get Sloan and Lu Fang's backstory as well as following Alva as she negotiates her teen years, making new friends, whilst dealing with alcohol, sex and loss.

This story draws you in gently but there are shocks in store along the way. The writing was beautiful and I felt utterly invested in each of the characters with all their flaws. There are some heartbreakingly beautiful moments that had me in tears but equally parts that were shockingly stark. Aube Rey Lescure deals with emotions very skilfully. Very impressive work. A pleasure to immerse myself in this world.

I think this is a debut novel. I'd certainly keep an eye out for more work by this author. Highly recommended.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the advance review copy.

[Kartik · Rating 5 out of 5]

And I thought my family was dysfunctional 😮‍💨

[Darryl Suite · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not often that I come across books about Western characters moving to the East. In this case, an American moving to China. So, personally that angle provided a refreshing approach to the expat narrative.

(I borrowed this book from a friend but had to give it back in time for their travel plans, so I don’t have the book in front of me while I reflect on this review)

I learned a lot about Chinese culture. And the book had one of my fave elements: people behaving badly, but even with that foolproof element, I’m not sure if this book entirely worked for me. Despite the book being very well-written, there was almost an emptiness to it, and I believe this had to do with many characters feeling one dimensional. Personally, I love reading about characters who piss me off, but here I felt there wasn’t much layering to the characters; not much to justify what was taking place in front of my eyes. A lot of times, they felt like walking plot points. I wanted more depth, more subtlety. You can continue to give me more of a reason to hate you, I don’t mind —I welcome it, I drink it up, but at least make it a challenge for me to try to understand you as well. I want to soak up the complexity.

A part of me feels like I need a reread to see if I’m being unfair in my observation. To be fair, I did find the book to be highly entertaining. Maybe that’s enough. So I’ll give it this generous rating for now.

[Holly R W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about living in China. The protagonists are: Lu Fang, Sloan, and Sloan's 14 year old daughter Alva. When the book opens, Alva is watching her mother get married to Lu Fang. As a young teen, she is quite upset and mean about this. For all of Alva's life, it had been just the two of them - her mother and her. They call each other 'partners'.

"What's her free-spirited and beautiful mother doing marrying a Chinese businessman twenty years her senior? His stomach is paunchy, too." These are thoughts going through Alva's mind.

To further complicate matters, Alva never knew her own father, whom her mother calls a sperm donor. He was Chinese and her mother is an American. Alva makes up her mind to not accept Lu Fang and to give him a difficult time.

The book chronicles all three of these characters' lives. Much of the story takes place in Shanghai. I enjoyed the exposure to this city and its history. The author's writing was intriguing - it kept me wanting to read further. These are all pluses.

What disheartened me about the novel is that I could not relate to any of the three main characters, although I had more sympathy for Lu Fang. Alva was awash in experimenting with self-destructive behaviors, her mother Sloan was something of a slut and alcoholic, and Lu Fang had an illicit affair with her during his marriage.

Every so often I stumble upon a book like this - well-written, but with a plot that is not satisfying to me.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

A double perspective novel where having both stories, a few decades apart, adds so much depth and richness to the plot and characters. At its heart it's a poignant coming of age story, framed around the daughter and lover of an American ex-pat in China who loves her newly adopted country mostly because it is her only real chance to feel special. Both Alva and Lu Fang have had their lives shaped by her, and we see them both start to find a kind of power in themselves and their own ability to shape their lives. There are lots of parallels and juxtapositions in the stories--Alva moves away from her mother while Lu Fang moves steadily towards her--but their two stories and their lives are drastically different. I really enjoyed this, though it took me a little while to feel very invested. Alva's dislike for Lu Fang is so strong at first, and her teenage sulkiness is real but grating. But I fell in love with both characters the more I read.

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

По сравнению с Бубликовым, то есть первой прочитанной мною номинанткой, это выглядит прямо прилично. Пускай Шанхай тут тоже весьма оголивуженный, а некоторые сюжетные ходы нужны, похоже, только для номинации, но, в целом, роман скорее жив, чем мертв. Главная героиня производит достаточно достоверное впечатление упертой ослицы-подростка, отчим тоже не совсем картонный зомби; в общем, спасибо и 3,5 точно.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read from the Women's Prize shortlist and it's probably my favourite so far.

River East, River West tells the story of Alva, a 14 year old girl born and raised in China to an American mother. She does not know her father, although she knows that he is Chinese. Growing up as a mix of Chinese and white, she struggles with her identity and insists on attending an American school. This is only possible after her mother marries Lu Fang, her mother's rich landlord. Even though he is able to provide for them, Alva cannot get to grips with her mother's relationship with her stepfather and she becomes a little weyward, particularly following her friendship with Zoey.

River East, River West is not a fun read, and at times it is both sad and difficult to read. Alva's attendance at an American school eventually leads to her realising that all she wished for was not necessarily better. Her envy of the American way of life is brought into stark contrast one evening when she attends a party with Zoey.

Aube Rey Lescure is a fantastic writer and I will certainly be looking out for more of her work.

[b00kb1tch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am most absolutely, definitely not unbiased in my rating of this book. This book made me feel so connected to home and so reminded of how deeply I love this city.

“Shanghai was her world. The only nature she knew were its willows and man-made lakes, the only sky its milky-orange canopy. She’d been raised to the beats of its drills and swings of its cranes, to the glow of its neon lights and the density of its crowds. Here China converged, and toward China the world now converged. It was her own beating heart.”

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed-race Alva and her American mother Sloane live in Shanghai, where Alva attends a local school and dreams of the kind of life she could access via her US passport, although she has never left China. When Sloane hooks up with their landlord, Lu Fang, Alva assumes he's just the next in a series of Chinese men her mother's dated for their money. But it turns out that Sloane and Lu Fang have a shared past that reaches back more than twenty years, when Lu Fang was working in a shipping yard in Qingdao, miserable after missing out on his chance of finishing university due to being caught up in Mao's 'Down to the Countryside' movement in 1966 and sent for rural re-education. River East, River West, Aube Rey Lescure's debut, flashes between Alva's life in 2007-8 and Lu Fang's timeline, which runs from 1985-2005. It's extremely competent; it's readable, the writing flows well, the plot beats land correctly. Lescure has some important things to say about the prejudice of American expats towards the locals and the difficulties that Alva faces, labelled as a laowei by her Chinese classmates and yet dismissed by foreign visitors. But for me, this just lacked soul.

I want to say that one of the main problems with this novel is that Lu Fang, Sloane and Alva are all so unlikeable, and they absolutely are (Lescure almost seems to have designed the narrative so the minute I started feeling sympathy for one of them, they'd do something else horrible, although Lu Fang and Alva do have redemption in their sights by the end of the book). All three of them are obsessed with money and status, and are both used, and use others, in pursuit of it. However, I've never felt that 'I didn't like the characters' is a good criticism of a novel - not all characters are meant to be liked - so let's dig deeper. I guess the bigger issue I had with this cast is that, while I could understand intellectually why they are all so damaged, I never felt it emotionally. Of course Alva's going to be acting out, given the way her mother brought her up; of course Lu Fang has the right to feel bitter about how his prospects were wrecked; even Sloane's early struggles as a single mother are, theoretically, sympathetic. But I never connected to any of them, and so I never found any of them interesting; this lack of investment felt like a death knell for a character-led novel like this one, which ultimately, isn't saying anything very original and whose plot beats are incredibly predictable (and a bit tragedy porn).

This reminded me of the modern-day sections of Susan Barker's The Incarnations, which are also set in 2007-8, though in Beijing rather than Shanghai; it's also about a group of miserable people who wreak misery on each other and the innocents who happen to cross their paths. When I finished this, I found that the only characters I'd really cared about were tertiary: Alva's rooftopping friend Gao Xiaofan and Lu Fang's sad son Minmin. So no, I don't need to like fictional people for their stories to work for me, but there has to be something more to them than this.

I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Copy #gifted by @williammorrowbooks @bibliolifestyle]

READ IF YOU LIKE...
• Dual storylines/timelines
• Stories about unfulfilled people
• Exploring China's relationship with the U.S.

I THOUGHT IT WAS...
A novel with surprising depth that explores the complicated interplay between nationality, identity, and home. Teenage Alva's life changes dramatically when her white American mother marries their Chinese landlord. Ostracized as an outsider at her public school but saddled with mostly Chinese features from her unknown father, Alva starts to slip down a dangerous path as her obsession with America grows.

If I had to give this book another title, it would be The Consequences of Yearning. Every character in this book is striving to be someone they perceive to be better, wanting what they don't have. There's tragedy in how much of themselves they have to give up to reach their goal. I loved how both Alva's and her stepfather's obsession with America is written with such dissonance, how they can be disgusted with the colonialist privilege but still wish it was theirs to command. Their ambition so perfectly foils the ambition of Alva's mother that it makes my heart ache.

What pushed this book to a five-star read for me was Lescure's purposeful use of metaphors to underscore and augment her characters' development. I especially love how Lescure enfolds the film technique of the alienation effect into Alva's story -- one minute she's learning about it, and the next she's living it. With its literary richness, this book is a great pick for book clubs.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting that my two favorite books from the Women's Prize list so far (I have 3 UK imports to go) featured the Yalu River, on the border between North Korea and China. Both were written by debut authors writing in English (although English is neither's first language, I believe). River East takes place on the Chinese side, while 8 Lives of a Century Old Trickster is mostly on the Korean side. But, anyway, I love when those confluences happen, and two seemingly entirely unrelated reads end up informing each other.

River East, River West is a very strong debut. Two very different voices - a rebellious discontented teenage bi-racial girl raised by her American mother in China and a middle-aged Chinese man whose personal story traces the arc of Chinese history from the Cultural Revolution to the economic boom of the 2000s - and both very compelling. (Both narrators on the audiobook are very good). The story can be bleak at times - especially Alva's adolescent struggles - but narrative force and Lescure's sharp eye for social detail keep you turning pages.

I can't wait to see what she writes next.

[eyes.2c · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straddling the divide between East and West is fourteen year old Alva. She lives in Shanghai with her American mother, Sloan.
All Alva wants to do is go to school in America. When Sloan marries their landlord Lu Fang it seems that’s the end of her dreams.
As the story progresses Alva finds there is more similarities between Lu Fang and herself than she thought.
A coming of age story for Ava, a tale of dreams lost and stoic survival moving towards the promise of the unknown for Lu Fang.
Sad and thought provoking.

A William Morrow ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fabulous book is being published today, and when I was offered an advanced readers copy I jumped at the chance to read it. I enjoy reading books which are set in China. I have a daughter-in-law who is Chinese and I always embrace the opportunity to learn more about her country and culture.

If you would like to read my full review please visit my blog at:

https://leftontheshelfbookblog.blogsp...

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

River East River West is a stunning debut written with a confident hand.

A duel POV of a young girl, Alva, born in China to a blonde american mother and a Chinese father who is absent from her life (called a squirt of sperm) who is facing the universal themes of coming of age as a young woman while also grappling with where exactly she fits in in her own home. Does she fit in with the 'natives' school as she was born there but longs to go to the 'immigrants' school, where she longs to go, but will she fit in there?

The second POV is from her new step father, Lu Fang, who starts off with big dreams, but due to political changes sees them go up in flames quickly and he finds himself in a life he didn't plan on and that's leaving him less than satisfied.

The boo is a clever twist on the immigrant story which is usually shown in the reverse East to West and a spin on the old story of the American Dream, as seen from the eyes of a newly evolving China.

Although the themes are quite wide in scope, the story is very intimate within the small family unit that Alva, her mother and Lu Fang are forming and how they cope with their changing dynamic of family but also changes in fortune and there are universal themes that all readers can relate to their own lives along with learning more about the cultural and historical differences in the region.

There were scenes that absolutely devastated me, and one scene I will truly never forget as it broke my heart.

[Jeanette]

No rating, as I did not get to the half way point.

Just a super disappointing read for me. I almost dislike the characters and completely fail to embed in their layers of distress. Although that was not the determining factor. What was is the plotting direction and the writing style itself that made me quit. Not a fan. I could never give this more than 2 stars.

Love that area and the books placed there and within Singapore or Hong Kong too in great majority. But this one just didn't fly for me. DNF Many more in the pile are calling out to me. This had way, way too many long winded introspection self-talk passages for me to spend any more time.

It would probably semi-fit into my "nobody loves me, everybody hates me- I think I'll go out and eat worms" category on top of it.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Duckworth Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story was heartfelt and contained so much but most importantly it revealed many things about Chinese society that I would never have learned otherwise. It also contained so much more about life straddling cultures, whether as an immigrant or person of mixed race.
The balance of views of cultural and familial roles was near perfect. I’m eager to see what this author writes next and highly recommend this debut.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh god, this one got me. What a beautiful and heartbreaking story of two generations growing up in China, looking toward the West, and the American woman who connects them and wants the opposite. The characters are so rich and complex and sad, Lu Fang especially. And the plot is propulsive and enthralling and kept me hooked… a quietly devastating story of family and growing up and longing and a vivid portrait of Shanghai.

[Gigi Ropp · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book wasn’t initially captivating, I pushed through to the end and am so glad I did! Sometimes it’s easy to want an easy plot with a defined direction or problem and this wasn’t that, but rather an exploration of identity and relationships.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. The character development was fantastic and reading from these two character’s perspectives was so interesting. I really felt I got to know both characters and cared about what happened to them. I love reading about imperfect people and seeing the complexity and nuance in human relationships

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

me 🤝 smashing the five star rating with reckless abandon after reading any multi-generational multiple POV book about families, identity and the search for home

anyway I loved this a lot. a compulsive and accomplished - at times dark - read, it was atmospheric, tender, frustrating and moving (as all good books are to me). I picked this up at the Women’s Prize Live last summer and my only regret is not having read it sooner.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

2007. Shanghai. High school student Alva feels trapped in her public school—she's considered a foreigner because of her white mom & unknown Asian dad and desperately wants to move to the US to embrace her "Americanness." 1985. Qingdao. Lu Fang feels stuck in his clerk job until he meets a free-spirited American woman, forcing him to confront his past, present, and future.

I thoroughly enjoyed RERW. Lescure's portrayal of the sociocultural nuances around "foreigners," especially white people in a majority-Asian country, strikes a cord that I resonated deeply with as someone who had observed similar sentiments in Taiwan.

The parallels and juxtapositions between Alva and Lu Fang—starry-eyed with their admiration toward everything American—are unique angles I haven't read much in Asian literature. Coupled with the depiction of all the foreigners in RERW, some wealthy & some not, but all share a common trait—they are all middle-class in the US but hide their mediocrity behind their whiteness in China. Reading about the sh*t these expats get away with fills me with anger and reminds me of news & stories I've heard growing up in Taiwan, where I, too, have fallen under the spells of one's whiteness & western background.

Lescure pulls no punches in criticizing both China and the West. China for its blind acceptance of white expats' wrongdoings and its rigid political structure for Chinese citizens. And the West for using their whiteness to continue to take advantage of Chinese/Asian people.

RERW isn't without its flaws. I find myself more interested in Lu Fang's POV, while Alva's narrative sometimes veers whiney and bratty. Of course, this could just be me being an older & grumpy reader 🤣 I also wish the story ended differently, but that's more of a personal preference.

RERW is an exceptional debut that shares unique & fascinating angles about the modern Chinese/expat experience. I adored how "Chinese" this book is—with quotes from ancient poems, using Chinese characters without much explanation, and biting criticisms of anti-/pro-western cultures. I'm unsure how the general Western audience will respond to RERW, but I recommend this book to those who want to read a fresh perspective on Asian literature.

[Stacy40pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

River East River West by Aub Rey Lescure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alva goes to a Chinese school in China but her mother is American. Alva strives for America and the American lifestyle. When her mother marries their wealthy Chinese landlord she knows they’ll never move now: but she desires American school, which opens her to a new world.

This was a fairly intense story that is kind of the opposite of an immigration story- a reverse immigration story (this is a new term to me). There’s a lot to this story but it is all slowly revealed through the current timeline and the past. It can be a painful read and takes you on a lifetime journey.

“Exceptionality was forged by tolerance of loss.”

River East River West comes out 1/9.

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

River East, River West took some time to grow on me. The plot didn't impress me as I thought it would , the writing wasn't as lyrical as I wanted it to be either.

The main selling point of the book was the relationship between Lu Fang and Alva. The two strangers were connected after a series of events. They found themselves in a situation that wasn't favourable, but they made it work.

4 stars, the last part of the book saved the book from becoming a letdown. I loved the historical aspect and the deep meaning of the Chinese characters throughout the book, but the ending was all tender and heartwarming that won me over.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women's Prize 2024 - shortlist
4.5 rounded down

Set largely in Shanghai and across two time periods, 1985 and 2007, this is the story of Alva, her American expat mother, and the Chinese father she’s never known. Told in alternating narratives from the point of view of Alva and Lu Fang, this is a highly accomplished debut novel. A family saga, a coming of age story, an exploration of race and class, culture and identity and more. The characters are so well drawn and the growth in their relationships across the novel is fascinating. Highly recommended.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting take on the expat experience in China. A young restless American woman immigrates to Shanghai, falls in love with a Chinese man and has a baby. Due to circumstances the baby's father is not involved in her upbringing. Told from both a young woman's and a Chinese man's point of view. One I'm still thinking about and I'm pleased it was on The 2024 Women's Prize longlist otherwise I may never have listened to the audiobook.

[Krystina Mair · Rating 4 out of 5]

if you enjoy the genre of general fiction i think you’d like this book, for me the first half was a bit dry but the second half was certainly impactful. trigger warning for mental illness, SA and probably a handful of other things.