Genre Fiction
![Kathryn Ma - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_kathryn_ma.jpg)
The Chinese Groove: A Novel
Anne Tyler meets Jade Chang in this buoyant, good-hearted, and sharply written novel about a blithely optimistic immigrant with big dreams, dire prospects, and a fractured extended family in need of his help-even if they don't know it yet
Eighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father's grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Deng's tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to San Francisco to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the "Chinese groove," a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders.
Upon arrival, Shelley is dismayed to find that his "rich uncle" is in fact his unemployed second cousin once removed and that the grand guest room he'd envisioned is but a scratchy sofa. The indefinite stay he'd planned for? That has a firm two-week expiration date. Even worse, the loving family he hoped would embrace him is in shambles, shattered by a senseless tragedy that has cleaved the family in two. They want nothing to do with this youthful bounder who's barged into their lives. Ever the optimist, Shelley concocts a plan to resuscitate his American dream by insinuating himself into the family. And, who knows, maybe he'll even manage to bring them back together in the process.
Eighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father's grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Deng's tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to San Francisco to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the "Chinese groove," a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders.
Upon arrival, Shelley is dismayed to find that his "rich uncle" is in fact his unemployed second cousin once removed and that the grand guest room he'd envisioned is but a scratchy sofa. The indefinite stay he'd planned for? That has a firm two-week expiration date. Even worse, the loving family he hoped would embrace him is in shambles, shattered by a senseless tragedy that has cleaved the family in two. They want nothing to do with this youthful bounder who's barged into their lives. Ever the optimist, Shelley concocts a plan to resuscitate his American dream by insinuating himself into the family. And, who knows, maybe he'll even manage to bring them back together in the process.
Editorial Reviews
The New York Times, 1 of 10 New Books Coming in January
An Amazon Editors' Pick
"Ma's iteration of the young migrant story is imbued with inherent optimism. Shelley's buoyancy is frustratingly naïve, and often completely foolish if you have any understanding of how brutal living in America actually is, but you root for Shelley in part because Shelley is rooting for Shelley. Ma finds wry humor in Shelley getting to know the mores of his new country (Ted biking to work seemed to be particularly surprising to him), but his belief in his own success is unwavering . . . By the end, he does indeed come out on top, even if it's in ways neither he nor the reader could have predicted." -Scaachi Koul, The New York Times Book Review
"Ma's uplifting tale of the good-hearted dreamer will appeal to those wanting to boost their spirits." -Becky Meloan, The Washington Post
"The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma is a funny and insightful novel, a satisfying immigration story told by an 18-year-old narrator, Zheng Xue Li, from Yunnan province, China. We can't help but love the determined and steadfast young man even as we laugh and wince and worry about him . . . Shelley's relentlessly optimistic voice and his impressions of the United States bump up against what we readers 'know' and create a wonderful tension that keeps us turning the pages. Especially when he first arrives in the U.S., his observations are so fresh and funny, they set a humorously poignant tone and suggest that our hero will survive even the most harrowing aspects of his experience . . . Ma plays brilliantly with stereotypes without stereotyping. She deftly handles a multitude of plot threads and conflicts among Shelley's web of connections in the U.S. and China as he carries on, almost in spite of himself. She is a master of voice . . . The Chinese Groove is certainly a contender for the funniest book about survival that you'll ever read." -Connie Biewald, The San Francisco Chronicle
"The Chinese Groove is satisfyingly Dickensian in its plot twists and intriguing characters . . . [A] thoughtfully crafted bildungsroman full of twists and turns . . . Readers will root for [Shelley] as he finds his own version of the American Dream-even if it looks different than expected." -Serena Puang, The Boston Globe
"A buoyant social satire." -Emma Alpern, New York Magazine...
An Amazon Editors' Pick
"Ma's iteration of the young migrant story is imbued with inherent optimism. Shelley's buoyancy is frustratingly naïve, and often completely foolish if you have any understanding of how brutal living in America actually is, but you root for Shelley in part because Shelley is rooting for Shelley. Ma finds wry humor in Shelley getting to know the mores of his new country (Ted biking to work seemed to be particularly surprising to him), but his belief in his own success is unwavering . . . By the end, he does indeed come out on top, even if it's in ways neither he nor the reader could have predicted." -Scaachi Koul, The New York Times Book Review
"Ma's uplifting tale of the good-hearted dreamer will appeal to those wanting to boost their spirits." -Becky Meloan, The Washington Post
"The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma is a funny and insightful novel, a satisfying immigration story told by an 18-year-old narrator, Zheng Xue Li, from Yunnan province, China. We can't help but love the determined and steadfast young man even as we laugh and wince and worry about him . . . Shelley's relentlessly optimistic voice and his impressions of the United States bump up against what we readers 'know' and create a wonderful tension that keeps us turning the pages. Especially when he first arrives in the U.S., his observations are so fresh and funny, they set a humorously poignant tone and suggest that our hero will survive even the most harrowing aspects of his experience . . . Ma plays brilliantly with stereotypes without stereotyping. She deftly handles a multitude of plot threads and conflicts among Shelley's web of connections in the U.S. and China as he carries on, almost in spite of himself. She is a master of voice . . . The Chinese Groove is certainly a contender for the funniest book about survival that you'll ever read." -Connie Biewald, The San Francisco Chronicle
"The Chinese Groove is satisfyingly Dickensian in its plot twists and intriguing characters . . . [A] thoughtfully crafted bildungsroman full of twists and turns . . . Readers will root for [Shelley] as he finds his own version of the American Dream-even if it looks different than expected." -Serena Puang, The Boston Globe
"A buoyant social satire." -Emma Alpern, New York Magazine...
Readers Top Reviews
kathleen g
Shelley is overly optimistic about how his life will go when he moves to the US but finds that there's more to life than he ever knew. He's 18 and staying with his cousin Ted who he didn't know at all before arriving- which is why he didn't know Ted isn't rich. Ted is largely estranged from his father Henry, a situation Shelley works on when he becomes a caretaker for Henry. Shelley finds himself juggling a job in a restaurant as well as everything else but he never loses his sense of humor. He's a terrific character. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.
