Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Short Story
Itâs Jeffâs first time being so far away from home, and heâs doing it alone. While heâs been to Canada and Mexico for brief visits, Shanghai is oceans away from anyone and anything familiar. Itâs a whole different world filled more noise and color and people than heâs used to, and none of it in English. While getting thoroughly lost on his first day of work, Jeff meets Greg, a friendly Chinese man who happens to be headed in the same direction Jeff is supposed to be going.
On their walk, Jeff learns that Greg is a fellow Californian, even though heâs from San Francisco rather than San Diego. Desperate for a friendly face, Jeff quickly offers his friendship and is delighted when Greg accepts. Soon the two of them are visiting touristy places, cafes, and dumpling shops, and trying out all sorts of Chinese food… when Gregâs work isnât getting in the way. Every time theyâre together, thereâs an urgent phone call or text or summons from Gregâs bank. The two of them barely have any time together and Jeff is only in the city for another week.
Jeff has already fallen for Greg and while he knows itâs different in China and that Greg isnât able to be out, he does rather wish there was a chance for something more than handshakes and apologies. As the clock ticks down and the days fade away, Jeff decides to take one last, desperate chance at giving both of them a night to remember.
I chose this book for our International Week in our Reading Challenge Month because I am a longtime fan of Asian dramas, food, and horror movies. So, it seemed only natural to choose a book about an American falling in love while in China. This short story gives you only a hint of the complex and chaotic world of Shanghai, and itâs a quick, easy read thatâs going to leave you feeling hungry when youâre done.
Jeff is a software engineer who is determined to be delighted with everything. Heâs in a foreign city for the first time and when he manages to find some familiarity — in another man who speaks English, comes from California, and is easy on the eyes — Jeff holds on tight. Â While he is friendly with his co-workers, who he traveled halfway around the world to meet, heâs more interested in spending time with Greg than getting to know the men heâs only spoken to via Skype. Heâs a little pushy and a little oblivious to some of the subtleties and difficulties Greg is dealing with by being gay in China, mostly because Jeff seems to neither understand nor care. Where heâs from, itâs okay to be gay.
Greg has moved to Shanghai to work in a very prestigious bank — one of the largest in the world — and, at a relatively young age, is a VP. Itâs stressful and competitive, and he has to deal with his familyâs expectations of marriage and children, as well as the frantic, intense pace of the bank. When he meets Greg, though, he realizes that he isnât exactly happy doing what heâs doing. Heâs also not able to be open with his family about who he is, and certainly not with his job, which he runs the risk of losing if itâs found out heâs gay.
I feel like there was the potential for a very interesting story here about the cultural differences between the two men, between what Jeff expected as opposed to what Greg was living. Instead, much of the story is their initial meeting, some descriptions of tourist locations, and their quick and easy friendship with a rushed ending and a tacked on happy ending that didnât feel earned to me. There is a major life decision that comes out of things between them and thereâs no examination of their relationship, no dealing with the enormity of these changes. While itâs certainly one character’s happy ending, Iâm not sure if itâs the other’s.
However, this is a short story and most of the focus was on the growing friendship of the two men during their time in Shanghai, China. The mini-travel guide of the gardens and temples was fun, and with the love with which the author described the soup dumplings, I wouldnât be surprised if Domani has been to Shanghai, himself. This was a quick, light, charming little love story, but it left me hungry for something a bit more substantial.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for International Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win a prize pack of some of our favorite International Books. Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by Dreamspinner Press (a Kindle Fire filled with Dreamspun Desires/Beyond books, plus a 3-month subscription!). You can get more information on our Challenge Month here, and more details on International Week here, including a list of all the books in this week’s prize.Â
A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Elizabeth. I’ve never visited China, so I think I’d enjoy the food and temple descriptions you mentioned.
This is an issue with novellas, it takes a talented writer to create a well constructed story with strong characters, plot and ending. Elizabeth, thank you for your review.
Thank you for the review, Elizabeth. I am sorry it disappointed you a Little bit. sometimes you can see the potential in a story, but it falls short. Too bad!
Thank you for your review. I’m sorry to read that the overal development in this story is a bit lacking. I often have that same problem with shorter story’s. I think it is hard to get everything out in a shorter page book and i often feel that the book could be a 5 star read if the author just gave the story more page time and in that way could provide more back story or character/relationship development.
Thank you for the review. It is difficult to review a shorter story, but you gave me quite a good insight of the book. I would give it a go if only for the fact that it is set in China, a country I can only dream of.
I vaguely remember hearing about this one…did I read it? I keep thinking I recognize the plot, though the one I read had an age gap too (the younger man was Asian).
It can be frustrating when you can see a better book, if only it was longer. The descriptions of Shanghai sound cool and if it was on sale I might give it a try.
I love reading about places I’ll never see so I’m sure I would really like the travelogue aspect but I usually have a problem with insta-love. I think HFN with the prospect of an HEA in the future might be best.
Thank you for the review! I enjoy seeing characters building a friendship before it moves to the next level but I understand the feeling of wanting more from a short read.
Thank you for the review… I’ve only visited Shanghai once and it wasn’t too memorable because it was in the midst of construction around The Bund area. Too many dust!!! But I need to go back there again. It’s been almost a decade!
I think this is so often the problem with novellas: it is really difficult to become fully invested in the characters… although the setting for this one does sound intriguing? And the food!
I’ll save this for when I want a quicker easy read. I had been looking at this book, so it’s on my radar.
I feel like reading this would be like visiting another country only to go to the same old restaurants we have here in the states. I would be more interested in a couple who were already together traveling to another country than someone visiting another country only to find someone who doesn’t come from somewhere that far from them. Personal preference there.
I would love to read a book set in China but I’m always reluctant to read short stories especially when the story would be so much better in a longer form.