Diamond Head - Softcover

Wong, Cecily

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062345443 ISBN 13: 9780062345448

Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2016

Synopsis

A sweeping debut spanning from China to Hawaii that follows four generations of a wealthy shipping family whose rise and decline is riddled with secrets and tragic love--from a young, powerful new voice in fiction.

At the turn of the nineteenth century, Frank Leong, a fabulously wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. The parable of the red string of fate, the cord that binds one intended beloved to her perfect match, also punishes for mistakes in love, passing a destructive knot down the family line.

When Frank Leong is murdered, his family is thrown into a perilous downward spiral. Left to rebuild in their patriarch's shadow, the surviving members of the Leong family try their hand at a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past. Still, the island continues to whisper--fragmented pieces of truth and chatter, until a letter arrives two decades later, carrying a confession that shatters the family even further.

Now the Leongs' survival rests with young Theresa, Frank Leong's only grandchild, eighteen and pregnant, the heir apparent to her ancestors' punishing knots.

Told through the eyes of the Leong's secret-keeping daughters and wives and spanning The Boxer Rebellion to Pearl Harbor to 1960s Hawaii, Diamond Head is a breathtakingly powerful tale of tragic love, shocking lies, poignant compromise, aching loss, heroic acts of sacrifice and, miraculous hope.

About this title

Review:

[A] lush, vivid, and unpredictable narrative. --"Elle""

Cecily Wong s "Diamond Head" is a shimmering tapestry of secrets and betrayals, beautifully told through the eyes of the women of the wealthy Leong family. An eye-opening, poignant read set against the backdrop of Hawaii s rich history. --Yangsze Choo, author of "The Ghost Bride""

"Diamond Head" takes the family saga to a new and very high place. . . . Readers will follow the fortunes of this family breathlessly, hungry for more. --Mary Gordon, author of "The Liar's Wife""

In "Diamond Head," Wong has crafted a delicate tower of mystery and history. . . . Wong s prose is lyrical and nearly poetic. . . . Lovely. --"New York Journal of Books""

[A] lush, vivid, and unpredictable narrative. --Elle"

Ms. Wong s first novel is a vivid story of a family s journey over time. We live and breathe with her characters as we witness history shaping family, and family creating its own history. Diamond Head is a jewel of a saga. --Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"

Wong will utterly transport you through her breathtaking prose in this impressively crafted story. --Bustle"

Cecily Wong s Diamond Head is a shimmering tapestry of secrets and betrayals, beautifully told through the eyes of the women of the wealthy Leong family. An eye-opening, poignant read set against the backdrop of Hawaii s rich history. --Yangsze Choo, author of The Ghost Bride"

Cecily Wong s lush debut novel hooked me in right away as it slowly unraveled the tangle of secrets the Leong family has kept for decades. Diamond Head is an intricate meditation on what is in our control and what is fate. --Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You"

An impressive story of romance stretching from early twentieth century China to Hawaii in 1964. . . . In this story of three generations of Chinese immigrants, ancient traditions and family secrets threaten the Leong clan in this captivating story of ill-fated romance set in beautiful island of Oahu. --Iron Mountain Daily News"

From the Back Cover:

"A jewel of a saga."--Rebecca Wells, author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Frank Leong, a prominent shipping industrialist and head of the celebrated Leong family, brings his loved ones from China to Hawaii at the turn of the twentieth century, when the Japanese invade. But something ancient follows the Leongs to the islands, haunting them--the parable of the red string of fate. According to Chinese legend, the red string binds one to her intended beloved, but also punishes for mistakes in love, twisting any misstep into a destructive knot that passes down through generations.

When its patriarch is murdered on Oahu, the Leong family is thrown into a downward spiral. Left to rebuild in his shadow, the surviving members attempt a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past--until a letter arrives two decades later, carrying a confession that shatters the family even further.

Now the Leongs' survival rests with young Theresa, Frank's only grandchild. Eighteen and pregnant, Theresa holds the answers to her family's mysteries and must decide what stories to tell, with whom to side, and which knots will endure.

Told through the eyes of the Leongs' secret-keeping daughters and wives, Diamond Head is a breathtakingly powerful multigenerational tale.

"Diamond Head is an intricate meditation on what is in our control and what is fate--and on whether children must bear the costs of their parents' mistakes."--Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You

"Wong's debut novel will hook readers from the first page and not let go until the final tragic secret is revealed."--Library Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0062345443
• ISBN 13: 9780062345448
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336