The Expatriates

by Janice Y.K. Lee

reviewed by Suzann Kale

Can you make a faraway, exotic city feel like home? If so, how is that done?

In the novel The Expatriates by Janice Y. K. Lee, each of the characters is an American living in Hong Kong. Some are there for work and stay for a few years. Some follow spouses that go there for work. Each character is searching to bring their concept of “home” with them. Can you make a faraway, exotic city feel like home? If so, how is that done? Ultimately the characters are searching for that elusive feeling of inner peace.

Some of the characters are able to make a home wherever they may be. They vacation in Bangkok, Hanoi, the Philippines, Korea. They socialize continuously in Hong Kong. They bring what they need with them, wherever they go.

Perhaps we all search for the same “homes,” whatever our circumstances. Lee’s character Mercy, for example, wants to feel like she belongs. The character Hilary wants to have her husband love her. That’s what would make her feel like she’s home. And the third main character, Margaret – well, spoiler alert. But it’s riveting, engrossing, and sometimes edge-of-your seat. Margaret’s challenge in finding ‘home’ is the most intense. Yet she has a path and she has a therapist, and she might make it.

Each chapter in THE EXPATRIATES is from one of the three main character’s point of view. It’s fascinating to get inside Mercy’s head, for example, and then in the next chapter to see how Margaret is reacting to the same situation. And then in another chapter Hilary observes Margaret and Mercy and has yet a third way of seeing the story.

Here’s the brilliance in Lee’s writing: Each character’s perception is valid, even though they all see things differently.

This is a strong novel about strong women and the challenges they face living far away from home.