{"product_id":"what-we-were-promised-9780316437196","title":"What We Were Promised","description":"\u003cb\u003eSet in modern Shanghai, a debut by a Chinese-American writer about a prodigal son whose unexpected return forces his newly wealthy family to confront painful secrets and unfulfilled promises.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e After years of chasing the American dream, the Zhen family has moved back to China. Settling into a luxurious serviced apartment in Shanghai, Wei, Lina, and their daughter, Karen, join an elite community of Chinese-born, Western-educated professionals who have returned to a radically transformed city. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e One morning, in the eighth tower of Lanson Suites, Lina discovers that a treasured ivory bracelet has gone missing. This incident sets off a wave of unease that ripples throughout the Zhen household. Wei, a marketing strategist, bows under the guilt of not having engaged in nobler work. Meanwhile, Lina, lonely in her new life of leisure, assumes the modern moniker taitai -a housewife who does no housework at all. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e She is haunted by the circumstances surrounding her arranged marriage to Wei and her lingering feelings for his brother, Qiang. Sunny, the family's housekeeper, is a keen but silent observer of these tensions. An unmarried woman trying to carve a place for herself in society, she understands the power of well-kept secrets. When Qiang reappears in Shanghai after decades on the run with a local gang, the family must finally come to terms with the past and its indelible mark on their futures. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e From a silk-producing village in rural China, up the corporate ladder in suburban America, and back again to the post-Maoist nouveaux riches of modern Shanghai, \u003ci\u003eWhat We Were Promised\u003c\/i\u003e explores the question of what we owe to our country, our families, and ourselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Back Bay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/06\/2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780316437196\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.55lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.40w x 1.00d","brand":"Lucy Tan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36636268888220,"sku":"9780316437196","price":13.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_0ab1297f-a643-43c7-b4f5-372ee2c3d445.jpg?v=1603841434","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/what-we-were-promised-9780316437196","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}