Almost a year earlier, in New York, emotionally distant patriarch Han Tang died suddenly. His deep reticence led his widow, Ling, and children, Emily and Michael, on lifelong paths of isolation and disconnection. In gentle, somber prose, Wendy Lee (Happy Family) relates each family member's attempt to come to terms with Han's legacy. Ling, terrified to move on and deepen a burgeoning relationship with a widower, cannot bring herself even to mow the green ocean of her backyard, a task Han assiduously completed each week. Emily, an immigration lawyer, succumbs to the emotional toll of her work when confronted with a case that reminds her too much of her dad, and Michael, perhaps the most scarred of all, is compelled to abscond from his rundown Manhattan apartment and visit a remote part of China when he finds a letter addressed to Han from an old friend who is offering forgiveness.
Across a Green Ocean introduces strongly defined characters, each haunted in vivid ways. Michael was caught by his father while exploring his nascent homosexuality and has remained largely closeted ever since. Han's pained remark--"You are my punishment. You are what I deserve"--defines both father and son in tangled, complex ways.
The descriptions of both rural and urban China and their residents are particularly engaging, depicting the country with equanimity and fascinating details based on Lee's years living there. One character remarks that "even when they dance disco, the Chinese like to be unified." Through this moving exploration of heritage, Michael can begin to reconcile with the memory of his father. --Evan M. Anderson, collection development librarian, Kirkendall Public Library, Ankeny, Iowa