Habit of a Foreign Sky (2010)
Somewhere between Hong Kong and New York, life does an abrupt shift for Gail Szeto when her mother, her last family member, is killed in an accident. For Gail, a mixed-race, single mother who buried her young son only two years prior, all she has left is a hard-won career at a global investment bank. Life rapidly goes into free fall for this woman with a complicated past, who was once so sure of her direction in life, who can now see no clear future path. With an international cast in New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai, this novel dramatizes a Sino-American balance of power at a staggeringly intimate level.
The manuscript of this novel was a finalist in the inaugural Man Asian Literary Prize.
"Smart, eloquent, cosmopolitan . . . a scintillating accomplishment." Don Lee, author of Yellow, Wrack & Ruin.
"An indispensable work of contemporary fiction by an important novelist at the height of her powers. A compelling, seductive reading experience." Nicholas Jose, Australian author & Man Asian Literary Prize judge.
"This accomplished, playful and graceful novel shows how swiftly life can change or seem to, depending on where you stand." - Jill Dawson, bestselling author of The Great Lover
"Startling insights into delicate yet hardened personae, flying alone and together." - Alex Kuo, American Book Award winner for Lipstick and Other Stories
"A riveting character whose contradictions and longing to be her own woman make her fascinating to watch as she struggles for integrity . . . she's recognizable, daunting and beautifully drawn." - Rosellen Brown, bestselling author of Before & After