Additional text Alexander Chee, The New York Times Book Review: "If we know this story, we have not seen it before in American fiction, until now. Ng has set two tasks in the double heart of the novel - to be exciting and to tell a story that is larger than what lies behind the crime. She succeeds at both by transforming the nest of familial resentments into at least four smaller, prickly secrets that family members do not want to share. What emerges is a deep, emotional portrait of a family grappling with its place in history, and of a young woman who hopes to be the fulfillment of that struggle. Ultimately, this is a novel about the burden of being the firstborn - a burden that is not always survived." Los Angeles Times: "Outstanding... a successful debut novel... heartbreaking... Ng skillfully weaves the threads of this complex narrative.".