From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation comes an evocative family drama and riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different women.
'Kwok is an impressive talent' - Karin Slaughter
'A beautiful, propulsive story' - Laura Dave
'I will find my daughter. No matter the cost...'
Jasmine Yang thought her daughter was dead at birth. But five years after she was taken from her arms, she learns that her controlling husband sent the baby to America to be adopted, a casualty of China's one-child-policy. Fleeing her rural Chinese village, Jasmine arrives in New York City with nothing except a desperate need to find her daughter. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she's forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her child.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardise not only Rebecca's job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble.
Two women in a divided city, separated by wealth and culture, yet bound together by their love for the same child. And when they finally meet, their lives will never be the same again...
'A hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery' - Lucy Foley
About the Author
Jean Kwok is the internationally bestselling author of Girl in Translation, Mambo in Chinatown and Searching for Sylvie Lee, and contributor to the Sunday Times bestseller, Marple: Twelve New Stories. Her work has been published in twenty countries and she has been selected for numerous honours, including the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award shortlist. She is fluent in Chinese, Dutch and English, and currently lives in the Netherlands.
Industry Reviews
'A heart-tugging exploration of love, belonging and the meaning of family' - Ruth Ware, author of IN A DARK, DARK WOOD
'An utterly riveting novel about two very different mothers, The Leftover Woman is not only an absolutely propulsive thriller but also a profound exploration of poverty and privilege, oppression and escape, desire and the self. This spellbinding narrative of immigration and hidden identity proves in so many ways that love has no boundaries' - Lan Samantha Chang, author of THE FAMILY CHAO
'Jean Kwok delivers again with The Leftover Woman - a magnetic meditation on secret histories, motherhood, love and how we show up for each other in the most surprising of ways. A beautiful, propulsive story' - Laura Dave, author of THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME
'A haunting, emotionally powerful story about motherhood, family, oppression, immigration, and power. Kwok is an impressive talent whose books resonate with deeply felt emotion and expertly crafted plotting' - Karin Slaughter, author of THE SILENT WIFE
'At once a hugely atmospheric and suspenseful mystery and a compelling exploration of motherhood and belonging that packs a profound emotional punch. I couldn't stop thinking about this book long after I'd read the final page' - Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY
