My Good Son, Yang Huang
My Good Son, Yang Huang
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

My Good Son
A Novel

Author: Yang Huang

Narrator: Nancy Wu

Unabridged: 10 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/02/2021


Synopsis

There are few things as universal as a parent's love for their child—and the heartache that can accompany it.

In My Good Son, award-winning author Yang Huang explores both the deep power and the profound burdens of parental love through the story of Mr. Cai, a tailor in post-Tiananmen China, and his only son Feng. Like many of his generation, Mr. Cai's most fervent desire is for his son to succeed. He manages to get Feng to pass his entrance exams, and turns to an American customer, Jude, to sponsor his studies in the States. This scheme, hatched between the older Chinese man and a handsome gay American ex-pat, exposes listeners to the parallels and differences of American and Chinese cultures—father-son relationships, familial expectations, sexuality, social mobility, and privilege. Huang's writing abounds with sharp insights and a quiet humor, revealing the complexity of family relationships amidst two rapidly changing cultures.

About Yang Huang

Yang Huang grew up in Yangzhou, China, and has lived in the United States since 1990. Her linked story collection, My Old Faithful, won the Juniper Prize for fiction. Her debut novel, Living Treasures, won the Nautilus Book Award silver medal in fiction. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two teenage sons and works for the University of California, Berkeley.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stephen on August 17, 2021

I was moved by this novel for its authentic exploration of conflicting expectations within a Chinese family. There's a growing son (college age), and a tailor father (self-made and proud, with his own story) and a sensible mother (intelligent and practical), and a gay American (rich and disaffected......more

Goodreads review by Margo on January 08, 2021

An affecting and insightful novel about parenting, ambition, and unconditional love. My interview with Yang Huang will appear in the Spring 2021 issue of Newfound Journal (publishing in March).......more

Goodreads review by Qin on April 10, 2021

I read the galley proof of My Good Son. This story reminds me of some of Jane Austen’s novels. People desperately wanted better lives for themselves and their children, but they had few options. These characters were far from perfect, but all of them were likable. They struggled, made mistakes, and......more

Goodreads review by Kaitlin on June 01, 2021

My Good Son brings readers an intimate, engaging view of Tiananmen-era China through the lens of a tailor, Mr. Cai, and his college-bound son, Feng. I was immediately riveted by the tight, narrative-driven prose and a story that wove several characters (including the tailor, a gay American art stude......more