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Bo Caldwell has published short stories in
numerous literary magazines. Her essays have appeared frequently in the
Washington Post Magazine. She is a former Stegner Fellow in Creative Writing at
Stanford University, and now lives in Northern California with her husband,
novelist Ron Hansen, and her two children.
(Source: press release, by permission of Harcourt, Inc.)
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As THE
DISTANT LAND OF MY FATHER opens, Anna, the narrator, is living in a storybook
world: exotic, pre-World War II Shanghai, with handsome young parents, wealth,
and comfort. Her father, the son of missionaries, is a charming — though
secretive — man, whose greatest joy is sharing his beloved city with his only
daughter. Yet when Anna and her mother flee Japanese-occupied Shanghai to return
to Los Angeles, he stays behind, believing his connections and a little bit of
luck will keep him safe.
The story travels to California, where Anna, and her mother, try to rebuild
their lives, with the memory of Anna’s father hovering over them — and the
constant wait for him to rejoin the family.
Through Anna’s vivid memories and her father’s journals we learn of his fall
from charismatic millionaire to tortured prisoner. A breathtaking and richly
lyrical story of betrayal and reconciliation that spans several years across
continents, THE DISTANT LAND OF MY FATHER unfolds to reveal an enduring family
love through tragic circumstances.
(Source: press release, by permission of Harcourt, Inc.)
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