This story traces the relationship of Miranda and Lucia, two sisters who immigrated to the US from China as young children (Lucia not even born yet). As these sisters cross cultures and continents, we see inside their individual lives and the ups and downs of the complicated love between an older and younger sister, especially in light of childhood promises and mental illness.

I enjoyed Lee's writing style, especially her different voices and perspectives. I'm not sure if I caught everything Lee was trying to say, but the story she wove together had a sense of epic-ness to it, but it didn't feel "heavy" like an epic, if that makes sense. I loved tracing the themes and was delighted in the way that small pieces of the story kept showing up (the duck painting, the pink boots, the orange bottle) - Lee had a fantastic balance to this without overdoing it or making it too predictable. This is a lovely debut novel, and I hope Lee keeps writing.

Pairings: My Sister's Keeper,