What We Were Promised - Hardcover

"I read What We Were Promised in a state of enchantment, immediately drawn into the longings, secrets and very human foibles of its finely-drawn cast of characters. Both intimate and panoramic, Lucy Tan's debut is a revealing consideration of modern China as well as a thrilling discovery of the generations-long secrets between two families. Compassionate and heartbreaking, funny and wise, local and universal, What We Were Promised marks the arrival of an inspiring new voice."--Chloe Benjamin, author of The Anatomy of Dreams and The Immortalists

"In What We Were Promised, Tan skillfully brings to life the issues of modern day China and Shanghai. It is an immigrant story but one that also delves into the subject of going back to one's homeland. Tan humanizes each and every one of her characters. There is also depth to how the stories of past and present are interwoven. As a reader I felt that I was in good hands."--Weike Wang, author of Chemistry

"What We Were Promised is like being let into the heads of the characters in a C-drama... From its first page the novel promises a mix of emotion and intellect, plot and cultural critique, and it delivers. These characters are deeply understood and deeply felt, and the conflicts they get themselves into will keep you up at night turning pages. By the end of What We Were Promised you will agree that the real promise belongs to its debut author. Put Lucy Tan on your literary radar now."--Matthew Salesses, author of The Hundred-Year Flood

"Lucy Tan brings to vibrant life the self-made, newly cosmopolitan Zhens, who have gone from the tea fields and silk factories of small town China to the luxury high rises of Shanghai in one generation. Abounding in insight and deftly told, What We Were Promised is a story both sweeping and intimate, as this most modern of families discovers they must confront their past in order to find their future. "--Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements and Astonish Me

"What We Were Promised is a big beautiful novel. Lucy Tan's dazzling debut grapples with the persistence of the past, the inevitability of the present, and the difficulty of balancing individuality with community."--Hannah Pittard, author of Visible Empire and Listen to Me

"Tan's talent as a storyteller clearly shines through her strong plot lines and characterization; readers will want to know more about each well-crafted player in the story . . . . A novel of class, culture, and expectations; readers who enjoyed works like Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians will likely find Tan's surprising and down-to-earth tale an entertaining read."--Library Journal

"A quietly brilliant book, and a truly singular debut."--Arna Bontemps Hemenway, award-winning author of Elegy on Kinderklavier

"A beautifully rendered debut with vivid characters who will stay with readers long after the last satisfying page."--Judith Claire Mitchell, author of A Reunion of Ghosts

"From fitting in culturally, family dynamics, and self-worth, the story will resonate with anyone who is uncertain and fearful about their future."--Women.com

"A compelling story of class, culture, regret, and anxiety about the road not taken."--Modern Mrs. Darcy

Lucy Tan grew up in New Jersey and has spent much of her adult life in New York and Shanghai. She received her B.A. from New York University and her M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was awarded the 2016 August Derleth Prize. Her fiction has been published in journals such as Asia Literary Review and Ploughshares, where she was winner of the 2015 Emerging Writer's Contest. This is her first novel.