Jasmine Yang thought her daughter was dead at birth. But five years after she was taken from her arms, she learns that her controlling husband sent the baby to America to be adopted, a casualty of China's one-child-policy. Fleeing her rural Chinese village, Jasmine arrives in New York City with nothing except a desperate need to find her daughter. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she's forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her child.
Meanwhile, Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardise not only Rebecca's job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble.
Two women in a divided city, separated by wealth and culture, yet bound together by their love for the same child. And when they finally meet, their lives will never be the same again...
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My beloved, I understand that forgiveness may not be possible.- PROLOGUE, May 6, 2022
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(Viper, 10 October 2023, e-galley, 310 pages, copy from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I really enjoyed The Leftover Woman. I have a very vague knowledge of China's one-child policy, so I enjoyed reading about something relatively new to me. I liked the fact the chapters move between Jasmine's POV and Rebecca's POV. The pacing is excellent as you gradually learn how Jasmine and Rebecca are aligned. You know early on that Rebecca adopted Jasmine's baby but the deeper link between their stories is not revealed until fairly late on and surprised me. I found Jasmine's story harrowing as she's forced into unsavoury work to make enough money to pay off the people who helped her get to the US. I found some of her chapters painful to read. The pacing is quite slow and gradually increases towards the book's climax which works really well. This is a gripping read.