World and Town

By Gish Jen and John Rowland

Book Overview

The award-winning author of Thank You, Mr. Nixon and The Resisters delivers "[a] triumph of a novel.... Jen reflects America, at its best, its worst, its most vulnerable" (The Miami Herald), and asks deep questions about religion, love, home, and meaning.

Hattie Kong, a retired teacher and a descendant of Confucius, has decided that it's time to start over. She moves to the peaceful New England town of Riverlake, a place that once represented the rock-solid base of American life. Instead of quietude, Hattie discovers a town challenged by cell-phone towers, chain stores, and struggling farms. Soon Hattie is joined by an immigrant Cambodian family on the run, and--quite unexpectedly--Carter Hatch, a love from her past.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307473309
• ISBN13: 9780307473301
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 8.1"