num_pages: 400
description: Anna, the narrator of this riveting first novel, lives in a storybook world: exotic pre- World War II Shanghai, with handsome young parents, wealth, and comfort. Her father, the son of missionaries, leads a charmed and secretive life, though his greatest joy is sharing his beloved city with his only daughter. Yet when Anna and her mother flee Japanese-occupied Shanghai to return to California, he stays behind, believing his connections and a little bit of luck will keep him safe.Through Anna's memories and her father's journals we learn of his fall from charismatic millionaire to tortured prisoner, in a story of betrayal and reconciliation that spans two continents. The Distant Land of My Father, a breathtaking and richly lyrical debut, unfolds to reveal an enduring family love through tragic circumstances.
language: English
title: The Distant Land of My Father
titlecomplete: The Distant Land of My Father
genres: China, Asian Literature, Historical, Cultural, World War II, Asia, War, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club
ratings_count: 5216
places: China, Los Angeles, California, Pasadena, California, Shanghai, California
publisher: Harvest Books