This is the well written story of a young woman who is hiding from a challenge she knows she must face: finding her place in the world. Because of difficult circumstances in her life, she moves from San Francisco back home to Singapore and in the process learns about her …more family's artisanal soy sauce business, what it means to be a friend, family loyalty, and most important, herself. There are many plot lines and characters in this book which keep the pace moving and the reader involved. Slightly fewer might have allowed the author to develop her characters a little more deeply which would have been a bonus. As a confirmed cook, I would have appreciated more complete information about the making and use of fine soy sauce. The information that was given was well researched and titillated my taste buds!

The book is a rather long build up of a somewhat immature Gretchen, having a hard time making up her mind. While I did enjoy the book a great deal, and felt some suspense about what her decision would be, I would have liked a greater depth in the description of her character so that there was more understanding about why she decided what she did. (less)