The Expatriates: The inspiration for Expats, starring Nicole Kidman on Amazon Prime Video 26 January 2024

New
Paperback
2017
$11.40

I raced through this enthralling story' Liane Moriarty
'Brilliantly plotted and written, utterly absorbing' Daily Mail
'An emotionally gripping page-turner' Elle

Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her identity in the wake of a shattering loss.
As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all. The Expatriates is an atmospheric, moving, and utterly compelling story of motherhood and family set against the unforgettable backdrop of Hong Kong.

Synopsis

I raced through this enthralling story' Liane Moriarty

'Brilliantly plotted and written, utterly absorbing' Daily Mail

'An emotionally gripping page-turner' Elle

Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her identity in the wake of a shattering loss.

As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all. The Expatriates is an atmospheric, moving, and utterly compelling story of motherhood and family set against the unforgettable backdrop of Hong Kong.

$11.40

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Publisher: Abacus
Published: 09 Feb 2017
ISBN 10: 0349141169
ISBN 13: 9780349141169

Media Reviews

I raced through this enthralling story of three very different American women living in the same small expat community in Hong Kong. One devastating moment has irreversible consequences for all three. I kept saying 'no, no, no' as I read the description of that moment. My husband said, 'What?' - and I said, 'Be quiet. Let me read.' * Liane Moriarty *
A female, funny Henry James in Asia, Janice Y. K. Lee is vividly good on the subject of Americans abroad...vibrant social satire: Inside these dark materials lies the sharpness of a comic novelist, and Lee's eye for the nuance and clash of culture, class, race and sex is subtle and shrewd * New York Times Book Review *
Brilliantly plotted and written, utterly absorbing, often heartbreaking, The Expatriates looks set to be one of the books of the year * Daily Mail *
An emotionally gripping page-turner * Elle *
We found ourselves racing through this exotic, sexy, heartbreaking book. . . . We couldn't wait to find out what happens to each of the women * Glamour *
Beautiful and heartbreaking * Hello *
We imagine we know these [expatriate] women, who are distanced from their work, friends, and family, but we don't. Janice Y. K. Lee does. Set in Hong Kong, The Expatriates looks inside the lives of three women . . . all in crisis, all needing one another in ways they, and we, can't imagine * Vanity Fair *
Gorgeously wrought * Marie Claire *
Irresistible . . . Lee's wizardry is her ability to whip drama, pathos and humor into a scrumptious page-turning blend. * USA Today, 4/4 stars *
Lee has written a book that manages to shine a penetrating light on both the ups and downs of the expat experience and the resilience of human spirit...A perceptive and compelling tale. By laying bare three lives and dishing out a series of hard knocks, Janice Lee expertly demonstrates how small decisions lead to big effects * Literary Review *
Lee excels at conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere of expat life. Despite their various degrees of privilege and wealth, Hilary, Margaret and Mercy are all forced to operate within a tight framework of expectations. . . shrewd and moving -- Anna James * Financial Times *
A remarkably touching and quite, quite beautiful read. Set in Hong Kong, the prologue is teeming with people making their way to this remarkable city...Janice Y. K. Lee writes with an exquisite, startling intensity...There is a real depth and energy to the writing, yet the thread of compassion that weaves through the pages ensures a delicate balance. The Expatriates' is wonderfully fascinating, compelling and profound, and I absolutely loved it * Lovereading, January 2016 Book of the Month *
Offers sharp insights into the tensions between moneyed expats and the impoverished locals who serve them * People, The Best New Books *
One chief pleasure of The Expatriates is watching how the lives of Hilary, Mercy and Margaret converge and are changed by that convergence, and how they each metabolize grief. A more subtle yet lingering benefit is getting to know Lee's acutely observed Hong Kong, a city on the cusp of change that must eventually affect the lives of expatriates and locals alike * Los Angeles Times *
Powerful [and] nuanced . . . poignant and compelling . . . The Expatriates moves with urgency, but also takes time to slowly reveal a complex story. Lee's storytelling is intricate, precise and rich enough to keep the reader seduced until the end * Seattle Times *
Janice Y. K. Lee nails family drama and gentrified Hong Kong * New York Magazine *
A novel about displacement and belonging . . . A thoughtful portrait of motherhood trade-offs, the book also offers sharp insights into the tensions between moneyed expats and the impoverished locals who serve them * People, 'The Best New Books' *

Author Bio

Janice Y. K. Lee was born and raised in Hong Kong. She graduated from Harvard College with a degree in English and American Literature and Language. A former editor at Elle, she lives in New York with her husband and four children.