The Wangs Vs. the World

Starred review from August 29, 2016
In Chang’s sparkling debut novel, a family whose fortune has been lost in the 2008 financial crisis takes a cross-country road trip in an effort to regroup. Bouncy patriarch Charles Wang, who immigrated to Los Angeles from China by way of Taiwan when he was a young man and made a fortune manufacturing makeup, drives his daughter, teenage Grace, an avid fashion blogger, and his son, Andrew, an aspiring stand-up comic, across the country with Barbra, their stepmother. Their destination is a little town in the Catskills, where his oldest daughter, Saina, a conceptual artist who has retired in shame from the New York City art world, lives. The family stops in New Orleans, where virginal Andrew becomes temporarily involved with an older woman, and in Alabama, where Charles attempts to deliver a U-Haul full of custom makeup to a boutique country store. Various small crises, notably Saina’s attempt to decide between a sweet new lover and an unreliable older one, keep the plot percolating. Chang’s charming and quirky characters and comic observations make the novel a jaunty joy ride to remember.

May 1, 2016

When Charles Wang's cosmetics empire comes crashing down, along with the American dream he's been living, he decides to return to China to reclaim both his good name and his ancestral lands. First he leaves California on a road trip to upstate New York with his second wife and otherwise engaged younger children to his see reclusive older artist daughter. Incidents along the way make Charles understand that he must choose between past and family. Arts and culture journalist Chang starts her fiction career with a bang, her book having been won in a 12-bidder auction and sold to seven territories; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2016

Chinese immigrant Charles Wang made a fortune with his cosmetics empire. His three children and their stepmother had all they could want, including a palatial home in Bel Air, CA. Then things came crashing down. Soon the family must travel in a rickety old car to New York in order to move in with eldest daughter, Saina, an artist. En route they have an accident that brings them closer as they become better acquainted. Chang's clever minibiographies of each family member are informative and enjoyable. "Baby" Grace is the warmest, while middle child Andrew is sweet and hesitant. The siblings' banter is charming and illustrates how well they relate. Once he reaches New York, Charles decides to follow his dream of returning to China to reclaim his ancestral land. After he's admitted to a Chinese hospital, the family travels to see him. It's apparent their bond is stronger than ever. Debut author Chang leaves it to readers to interpret the conclusion in their own way. VERDICT Fans of sweeping family sagas will be rewarded. [See Prepub Alert, 4/3/16.]--Susan G. Baird, formerly with Oak Lawn P.L., IL

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.