Anna M

Love, loss, loyalty, and family are central to Chang's The Family Chao – with a few Asian traditions that add an unusual twist to the story. An immigrant family, the Chao's face struggles as they strive to make a success of their lives in the US. The real story, however, is in the struggles the family face between each other. Chang takes what might seem like the story of immigrants striving for the American Dream and puts it into the context of a dysfunctional family. This makes the story what it becomes – a story of people held together by blood and culture. And secrets and mystery.

The first 75 pages center around character development and backstory, but the book snowballs into a significant conclusion. If you can make it past the first part of the book, the rest will have you reading nonstop until the end.

Note: Crude language is used for character development, especially at the beginning of the book. This may be off-putting to some readers.

I wanted to review this book because I'm a total beach girl, love reading stories that have settings on islands, beaches or coastlines, and I have visited in Key West before and wanted to know more about it. This book certainly delivers in those regards! The historical references to Key West and the Florida Keys in the mid 1800's are interesting and informative.

The character development, however, wasn't enough to involve me emotionally in the book. While there are some tragedies and triumphs, not enough is known about Emily, Andrew and their families and histories to draw you into the story. I was more involved with the mystery, social structure and evolution of the lighthouse lifestyle and the development of Key West as a major financial influence on the state of Florida.

This book is fast-paced and will definitely satisfy your need for an easy read at the water this summer.