A River of Stars

May 7, 2018
In her skillful debut novel, Hua (Deceit and Other Possibilities: Stories), a San Francisco Chronicle columnist, introduces a strong heroine: fiercely independent Scarlett Chen. Scarlett, a factory clerk, fought her way to prosperity from the poverty of her native Chinese village and the clutches of her controlling mother. But when an affair with her married boss results in a pregnancy—and the ultrasound reveals the son he’s always longed for—Boss Yeung sends Scarlett to Los Angeles to be cared for in a secret maternity home. Run by another clever woman, Mama Fang, the home caters to wealthy Chinese couples hoping to secure U.S. citizenship for their soon-to-be born children. It’s there that Boss Yeung’s true intentions (and his own considerable self-interest) are revealed. When Scarlett learns that the ultrasound was incorrect and she’s in fact carrying a girl, she knows she must leave the home to save herself. Along with another young pregnant woman, she breaks free to scratch out an existence on the streets of San Francisco’s Chinatown—a setup that is heartbreaking and, at turns, hilarious, as the two must remain undetected while they make their way across California. Hua wonderfully evokes the exigencies of lives at the margins of American culture by revealing Scarlett’s enduring ingenuity as she navigates near-destitute single motherhood.

Jennifer Lim's upbeat narration offers a fascinating look at the immigrant experience. In China, Scarlett Chen is the pregnant mistress of Boss Yeung, who is married. Boss has three daughters, and Scarlett is carrying a son, so he sends her to the U.S., to an establishment for pregnant Chinese women who want their children to be born American citizens. Lim's voice runs the gamut from shrill and high-pitched to low and tender while portraying the variety of personalities and classes among the women. Scarlett learns that Boss wants her to give up the baby, so she and her friend Daisy escape and take to the mean streets of San Francisco, with Boss hot on their heels. Lim's engaging narration almost makes up for Hua's contrived ending. S.J.H. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine