Genre Fiction
![Lan Samantha Chang - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_lan_samantha_chang.jpg)
The Family Chao: A Novel
Featured on Barack Obama's 2022 Summer Reading List
A Vogue Best Book of the Year
One of Literary Hub's and The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of 2022
A Goodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Mystery of 2022
An acclaimed storyteller returns with "a gorgeous and gripping literary mystery" that explores "family, betrayal, passion, race, culture and the American Dream" (Jean Kwok).
The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant's delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and their three sons earned scholarships to respectable colleges. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family's secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last.
Before long, brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead―presumed murdered―and his sons find they've drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant's reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. As the spotlight on the brothers tightens―and the family dog meets an unexpected fate―Dagou, Ming, and James must reckon with the legacy of their father's outsized appetites and their own future survival.
Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.
A Vogue Best Book of the Year
One of Literary Hub's and The Millions' Most Anticipated Books of 2022
A Goodreads Readers' Most Anticipated Mystery of 2022
An acclaimed storyteller returns with "a gorgeous and gripping literary mystery" that explores "family, betrayal, passion, race, culture and the American Dream" (Jean Kwok).
The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant's delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and their three sons earned scholarships to respectable colleges. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family's secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last.
Before long, brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead―presumed murdered―and his sons find they've drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three brothers: Dagou, the restaurant's reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. As the spotlight on the brothers tightens―and the family dog meets an unexpected fate―Dagou, Ming, and James must reckon with the legacy of their father's outsized appetites and their own future survival.
Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.
Editorial Reviews
"[Chang] lives and writes to push the boundaries of her craft and her world... Her new novel is a genre bender: a murder story whose prose sings and snickers and soars as engagingly as Chang's literary fiction."
― Meredith Maran, Washington Post
"The Family Chao is a riveting character-driven novel that delves beautifully into human psychology; Dostoevsky himself would surely approve."
― Ilana Masad, NPR
"A playful literary romp with a serious heart. Ostensibly it's a murder mystery...but it's also an exploration of genre, of literary types and stereotypes, and the impact of these types on the hopes and dreams of its characters... The action soars... Chang's narrative [is] operatic and subversive."
― May-Lee Chai, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A hilarious mystery that's also a searing take on assimilation and the American dream."
― People Magazine
"[Chang] turns the tired truism about every town having a Chinese restaurant on its head... Beautifully executed."
― Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"[A] sizzling...bravely unsentimental murder mystery about a Chinese American family in small-town Wisconsin."
― Richard Lipez, Washington Post
"Family drama, murder mystery, love story, The Family Chao is an oftentimes funny and sometimes sad portrait of a Chinese American family who runs that most ubiquitous of institutions: the Chinese restaurant. With nuance and slyness, wit and empathy, Chang turns the desires and deceits of one unhappy family into a moving and compelling saga of that classic American illness: ambition."
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Committed
"Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao is a modern-day Brothers Karamazov, a gorgeous and gripping literary mystery that leads the reader into a hall of mirrors, reflecting with its kaleidoscopic vision themes like family, betrayal, passion, race, culture and the American Dream. Devastating and searing, laugh-out-loud funny and profound, Chang's latest novel is infused with beautiful, evocative writing that wil...
― Meredith Maran, Washington Post
"The Family Chao is a riveting character-driven novel that delves beautifully into human psychology; Dostoevsky himself would surely approve."
― Ilana Masad, NPR
"A playful literary romp with a serious heart. Ostensibly it's a murder mystery...but it's also an exploration of genre, of literary types and stereotypes, and the impact of these types on the hopes and dreams of its characters... The action soars... Chang's narrative [is] operatic and subversive."
― May-Lee Chai, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A hilarious mystery that's also a searing take on assimilation and the American dream."
― People Magazine
"[Chang] turns the tired truism about every town having a Chinese restaurant on its head... Beautifully executed."
― Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
"[A] sizzling...bravely unsentimental murder mystery about a Chinese American family in small-town Wisconsin."
― Richard Lipez, Washington Post
"Family drama, murder mystery, love story, The Family Chao is an oftentimes funny and sometimes sad portrait of a Chinese American family who runs that most ubiquitous of institutions: the Chinese restaurant. With nuance and slyness, wit and empathy, Chang turns the desires and deceits of one unhappy family into a moving and compelling saga of that classic American illness: ambition."
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Committed
"Lan Samantha Chang's The Family Chao is a modern-day Brothers Karamazov, a gorgeous and gripping literary mystery that leads the reader into a hall of mirrors, reflecting with its kaleidoscopic vision themes like family, betrayal, passion, race, culture and the American Dream. Devastating and searing, laugh-out-loud funny and profound, Chang's latest novel is infused with beautiful, evocative writing that wil...
Readers Top Reviews
Overhyped new book. Pre-ordered based on all the advance rave reviews. Read about 100 pages and pretty much nothing happened. Expecting the remaining two thirds to be as bad so I’m giving up.
Kindle waretarem
But list the plot for me Or actually, it took a simple plot and twisted it beyond my recognition. I lost interest. The characters weren’t deep enough.
Len JoyKindle wa
A loathsome, autocratic father, a long-suffering now estranged mother, and three sons all struggling to find their way, create a compelling chaos that Lan Samantha Chang has forged into a literary masterpiece. (I’m quite proud of that pun). This book would be worth the price just for the incredible sensory details – especially the Chinese food. It is the epic story of a uniquely American immigrant experience with profound observations on all the permutations of family relationships and conflict. Highly, highly recommended.
Kindle Len JoyKi
Glad I read this deep dive into a family and community of diversity and humanness. Often I got lost..wished I had a road map other than my mind. Ultimately glad I came out the other end...I needed a description of many ingredients. I feel as if I've been in and out of messy homes in need of a good cleaning.
GxIHarvee L.Kindl
With all the hype around this novel and the fact that its author is the program director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, I was expecting a higher level of craft. Chang seemed to rely too heavily on the writing style of Dostoevsky and the book she is retelling (The Brothers Karamazov), but didn't modernize that style believably. The pace is a slog. The characters all seem to reveal way too much without any lead up or reason. The dialogue is clunky and long-winded. Frankly, the way the brothers talk to each other . . . men don't talk to each other with such straightforward, effusive feelings, especially where there is so much family baggage. The youngest son, who is supposed to be a college freshman coming home for Christmas break, is presented like he has been away for years, yet behaves like a 12 year old. Many of the scenes do not seem plausible for today's society. One scene has two women who are not friends and are in competition with each other for a romantic relationship with one of the brothers, hanging out together during a snow storm at one of their homes. Why would two independent women do that in today's world? In Dostoevsky's time/place - Russia/1800s - sure, maybe, because they would live in the same household or royal court or convent. Not only am I disappointed in the author, considering her background and educations, I'm more disappointed in the publisher for relying on the fact of Chang's position and resume for signing this book and marketing it so heavily. There are so many great, original, well-written novels from talented authors telling untold stories that go unpublished and unsupported. This just shows the state of the publishing industry today and it is sad.
