{"product_id":"book-gw0l","title":"Dear Chrysanthemums","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eLonglisted for the 2024 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, a startling and vivid debut novel in stories from acclaimed poet and translator Fiona Sze-Lorrain, featuring deeply compelling Asian women who reckon with the past, violence, and exile—set in Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Paris, and New York.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eComposed of several interconnected stories, each taking place in a year ending with the number six, ironically a number that in Chinese divination signifies “a smooth life,” \u003ci\u003eDear Chrysanthemums \u003c\/i\u003eis a novel about the scourge of inhumanity, survival, and past trauma that never leaves. The women in these stories are cooks, musicians, dancers, protestors, mothers and daughters, friends and enemies, all inexplicably connected in one way or another.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“Cooking for Madame Chiang,” 1946:\u003c\/b\u003e Two cooks work for Madame Chiang Kai-shek and prepare a foreign dish craved by their mistress, which becomes a political weapon and leads to their tragic end.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“Death at the Wukang Mansion,” 1966: \u003c\/b\u003ePunished for her extramarital affair, a dancer is transferred to Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution and assigned to an ominous apartment in a building whose other residents often depart in coffins.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“The White Piano,” 1966: \u003c\/b\u003eA budding pianist from New York City settles down in Paris and is assaulted when a mysterious piano arrives from Singapore.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“The Invisible Window,” 2016: \u003c\/b\u003eAfter their exile following the Tiananmen Square massacre, three women gather in a French cathedral to renew their friendship and reunite in their grief and faith.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e With devastating precision, a masterly ear for language, and a profound understanding of both human cruelty and compassion, Fiona Sze-Lorrain weaves \u003ci\u003eDear Chrysanthemums\u003c\/i\u003e, an evocative and disturbing portrait of diasporic life, the shared story of uprooting, resilience, artistic expression, and enduring love.","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster Audio","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49346665709872,"sku":"BDgw0l","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49346665742640,"sku":"10gw0l","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/gw0l-Square-cover.jpg?v=1773680978","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-gw0l","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}