"An immersive, movingly crafted multigenerational family story. Using the perspectives of three characters navigating parallel yet distinct experiences, Li engagingly explores legacy, identity, love, lies, and family ties while also integrating politics, immigration, and healthy (romantic) relationships." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Characters’ entanglements with one another are enticingly revealed, propelling the reader forward. Shen has woven an ambitious narrative tapestry uniting a century and a half of family history in a riveting tale touching on gender, race, and the secrets we keep from those we love." - Booklist (starred review)
"A whirlwind tale...layered characters and abundant historical detail keep emotions and tension high." - Publisher's Weekly
"This book is an exploration of identity, self-worth, and ultimately forgiveness of self." - School Library Journal
“I was utterly swept away by this novel—at once an intricate family saga, a romance, and a fraught immigration tale. E.L. Shen has crafted a truly unforgettable story for generations of readers to come.” - Patricia Park, author of Imposter Syndrome & Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
“A moving story as much about a family secret slowly unraveling across generations as it is about the desperate longing for connection when survival demands disconnection.” - Randy Ribay, award-winning author of Patron Saints of Nothing
“E.L. Shen’s elegant and deeply personal novel proves there is no such thing as a ‘small’ secret, given its power and potential to tear a family apart. Inspired by the author’s own family history, Foreigners is an epic yet also intimate exploration of the price paid when family secrets are passed down through the generations, from Qing Dynasty ancestor Duanfang’s political intrigue to immigrant teen Zheng Yi Chin’s 1965 tragic romance in New York’s Chinatown to her granddaughter Dawn Chin’s deeply repressed trauma that is getting harder and harder to contain. A seemingly simple history class interview assignment between Dawn and her grandmother quickly unravels as Dawn realizes her immigrant family were never foreigners in America… but to each other. Filled with romance and intrigue, E.L. Shen’s book will have readers rooting for Dawn to bring her family closer together, no matter how painful the truth.” - Paula Yoo, award-winning author of From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement
