In a buoyant and heartfelt second novel, Kathryn Ma (The Year She Left Us) continues to explore the varied and wonderful landscape of San Francisco. The Chinese Groove is the picaresque story of 18-year-old Zheng Xue Li's ambitious journey from China's Yunnan Province to settle with relatives in California. He has three major goals in mind: "I'd like to get better acquainted with our American relatives... find a pretty Chinese American wife... [and] make a lot of money." To do all this, Xue Li (Shelley, to most English speakers) lives by the Chinese groove, a philosophy of understated optimism that suggests one's needs will be met, just in time, and often in unexpected ways.
Xue Li's love of English idioms adds humorous effervescence, and his optimism imbues The Chinese Groove with an irresistibly bittersweet bite. From the moment he arrives in the U.S., nothing goes according to plan. The uncle he's supposed to stay with, Ted, is hardly the wealthy business tycoon that extended family claimed him to be, and the household Xue Li steps into trembles with secrets far deeper and darker than anyone ever let on. As these distant relatives get to know each other better, the newfound clarity among them brings first pain, then hard-won healing, with Xue Li discovering the true value of family, love and fortune along the way.
Ma has a gift for crafting lovable characters in challenging situations, and she places them in a vibrant Northern California setting. The Chinese Groove is a refreshing story of unsinkable perseverance and familial devotion, sure to unlock new stores of optimism for any reader. --Dave Wheeler, associate editor, Shelf Awareness