All Things Tending Towards the Eternal

In her debut novel, Lee (author of the story collection Travel Among Men) delivers powerful observations about roaming abroad. Fanny Molinari, a middle-aged hospital unit clerk, has lost her brother Bruno in a motorcycle accident. In August of 1989, in the shadow of the quelled Tiananmen Square protests, Fanny travels to the People%E2%80%99s Republic of China to find a woman named Wen Li, whose correspondence with Bruno could help Fanny unravel the events leading to her brother%E2%80%99s death. Meanwhile, Zhou %E2%80%9CJoe%E2%80%9D Chi, a hotel clerk driving a taxi to support his hospitalized brother and family, is enlisted by Yevgo Velasquez to drive from Guangzhou to China%E2%80%99s western border. Yevgo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, hopes to return to his home in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Accompanying Yevgo and Joe are Liu, Joe%E2%80%99s scheming best friend, and Daniel Lowe, a conman infatuated with Fanny. Each with his or her own motives and desires, these travelers%E2%80%99 paths converge near a small town called Emei Shan. Lee%E2%80%99s protagonists are engaging and intersect in interesting ways. There is humor, mystery and adventure. Including topics like opera, history, and philosophy, the narrative moves in many different directions and covers a wide range of subjects as diverse as its characters. Lee%E2%80%99s novel shows off her exceptional storytelling gifts: fun, moving, and perceptive in its comparison of differing religious and political ideologies. (Feb.)