This is a remarkable book, the first Ha Jin has written about the Chinese immigrant experience in the United States. The main character Nan Wu, is a frustrated poet, who constantly struggles with loyalty to his wife and obsession with his first love. His wife Ping Ping is admirable in her devotion to her husband and her son and her unrelenting efforts to make a good life for all of them in America. Their son, Tao Tao is caught between his parents’ desire that he adhere to Chinese values and culture and his own to become Americanized and one with his peers. It’s a long work – I listened to it on 17 CDs but the time invested is worth it. Highly recommended.