My Year Abroad
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- Create Date：2021-02-08 04:17:52
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Chang-rae Lee
- ISBN：9781594634574
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
★ 11/02/2020
Lee’s action-packed picaresque （after On Such a Full Sea） chronicles how an ordinary New Jersey college student ended up consorting with international criminals。 As the novel opens， Tiller Bardmon is living with 30-something Val and her eight-year-old son， whom he met in the Hong Kong airport after a series of adventures in Macau and Shenzhen。 Val and son are both in witness protection after Val cooperated with the U。S。 government to bring down her gangster husband。 The story of Tiller and Val runs parallel to Tiller’s recollections of the preceding year， when a day of caddying for a colorful foursome earns him an invitation from entrepreneur Pong Lou to join him on a business jaunt to Asia。 The trip is not all work， though， as Tiller discovers he can surf， sing， assume difficult yoga positions， and make mad passionate love—but the great adventure turns into a nightmare when Pong abandons Tiller outside Shenzhen。 In energetic prose， Lee nests stories within stories， such as the moving tales of a family torn apart by Mao’s Cultural Revolution and an immigrant family that reinvents itself for survival in America。 The frenetic roller-coaster ride is impressively structured as the naive and sometimes reckless Tiller learns about trust and betrayal from his dealings with Pong， and gains a more mature understanding of his identity， culture， and values as his bond with Val develops。 This literary whirlwind has Lee running on all cylinders。 Agent: Amanda Urban， ICM Partners。 （Feb。）
Reviews
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Cherise Wolas
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I've loved Lee's other novels， and this one is exuberant， overflowing， baggy， and wearying。 The writing is wonderful， witty and word-drunk， but at about page 200， I found myself only partly engaged。 There are two main narratives: the present-day， where 20 year old Tiller Bardmon， one-eighth Asian and otherwise white， a rising junior at a prestigious and privileged liberal arts college， from a suburb of little diversity， where he lived with his single father， his mother having disappeared from fa I've loved Lee's other novels， and this one is exuberant， overflowing， baggy， and wearying。 The writing is wonderful， witty and word-drunk， but at about page 200， I found myself only partly engaged。 There are two main narratives: the present-day， where 20 year old Tiller Bardmon， one-eighth Asian and otherwise white， a rising junior at a prestigious and privileged liberal arts college， from a suburb of little diversity， where he lived with his single father， his mother having disappeared from family life， meets Val and her 8 year old son， Vic Jr。 at a food court in the Hong Kong airport as he travels back from a harrowing overseas expedition with Chinese businessman， Pong Lou， whom he met caddying in the summer at home， a chemist for a pharmaceutical giant， who has yogurt places and hot dog places and is working on many other projects， including the development of a premium elixir that can be modified to suit each consumer and may extend life。 Tiller， Val， and Vic Jr。 return to the US， move in together， in Stagno， where Witness Protection has placed Val and her kid， after she informed on her husband。 The second narrative is comprised of Tiller's harrowing overseas expedition， when he accompanied Pong on a junket to China to raise money for his elixir。 Tiller plays the role of newcomer to whom all must be explained， thereby educating the reader on a wide range of topics。 The themes are many: identity， the global economy that is based on the fulfilling of desires and appetites that exploit race and national borders， the inequities in the world， the nature of modern day multiracial suburbs， and perhaps， happiness。 The too-muchness of the novel finally overwhelmed me。 。。。more
Dave
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If this whole book was written like the chapter about Pong’s childhood and the watermelon symbol he uses， it would have been a great book。 However， the book is long and nothing of much substance happens。 I did not connect with this book other than that one chapter。
Marco Nerlini
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Dnf at 8%
Joy
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*special thanks to Riverhead Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review！4 starsI was so excited to get a copy of this from the publisher！ I read Chang-Rae Lee’s A Gesture Life in college and thought it was amazing。 This book is strange and out there， but also very insightful and beautifully written。 It’s thought provoking and complex。 It has commentary on race， cultures， western values bs eastern values， mental health， and much more。 I liked how it went back and f *special thanks to Riverhead Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review！4 starsI was so excited to get a copy of this from the publisher！ I read Chang-Rae Lee’s A Gesture Life in college and thought it was amazing。 This book is strange and out there， but also very insightful and beautifully written。 It’s thought provoking and complex。 It has commentary on race， cultures， western values bs eastern values， mental health， and much more。 I liked how it went back and forth between Tiller’s past and present。 They were different， but quite wild。 I could definitely see how this wouldn’t be for everyone。 It’s a longer book， and you have to be ready for the crazy ride。 I thought the pacing was great， and it kept my attention throughout， but you probably have to be a lover of literary fiction to truly appreciate this book。 Lucky for me， literary fiction is one of my favorite genres。 There is a lot going on in this book， but I loved paying attention and drinking it all in。 。。。more
Sherry Erdly
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I was hoping this would be good， I never could understand what was happening。
Diana Paul
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In this latest novel by Chang-rae Lee， author of the riveting and sublime A Native Speaker and A Gesture Life， we see Tiller， a slacker-millennial， a college student who has moved in with a cougar， a thirty-something single mom， Val。 Together they are raising a chubby eight-year old son， Victor Jr。 aka Veej， with a genius for creating gourmet dishes。 Tiller is also a "hapa"--half-Korean， half-white guy wanting something adventurous in his pedestrian life。 Having very low self-esteem， Tiller is f In this latest novel by Chang-rae Lee， author of the riveting and sublime A Native Speaker and A Gesture Life， we see Tiller， a slacker-millennial， a college student who has moved in with a cougar， a thirty-something single mom， Val。 Together they are raising a chubby eight-year old son， Victor Jr。 aka Veej， with a genius for creating gourmet dishes。 Tiller is also a "hapa"--half-Korean， half-white guy wanting something adventurous in his pedestrian life。 Having very low self-esteem， Tiller is first and foremost， searching for validation。Under witness protection due to Val's ex-husband being a minor thug， Tiller， Val and Victor Jr。 have moved to a town that could be in Appalachia: Stagno， which has lost any employers it may have once had， leaving everyone stagnating。 Tiller， despite his love for Val and his interest in the little boy， is also stagnating。Along comes a charismatic， extremely wealthy Chinese American business man， Pong Lou， who decides not only to mentor Tiller， when they meet in a bar， but also to treat him to the trip of a lifetime to promote his health drink， Elixerent， for a start-up company he is envisioning。 And this is where My Year Abroad gets its title: a rapidly accelerating trip to see a host of characters important for Pong's success， but the characters and the relationships become convoluted and not richly developed。My Year Abroad is structured into two distinct and very different plots: 1）Tiller's trip throughout China with Pong and his retinue; and 2） his romance with Val and her son。 Alternating between the two locales and different dramas， Tiller is always the narrator processing both his adventure and his need for family。 In the portrayal of the character Tiller， for this reviewer there isn't the psychological penetration and skewering of motives I found in Chang-rae's other novels。 Tiller is lost， mostly from parental abandonment， but the angst and utter rudderless nature of his quest for meaning in life is not developed during the first half of this narrative。 Yes， early on we discover his unfortunate family circumstances， but the secrets and lies--the things unsaid--are not adequately touched upon until the second half。 His biracial identity also seems vaguely developed although his trip to Asia and Pong's immigrant experience intertwine。What results is a little too much going on within each plot without the essential "why" being answered， or at least suggested。 Yes， Tiller needs family but is Pong a father-surrogate and is the venture doomed to fail？ Is Val a substitute for a mother figure and the little boy his alter ego？ Or not？ A few parallel scenes from his past--much more unspooled than the shadows given to the reader--are sorely needed。I truly appreciate the skill with which Lee writes， but the story didn’t ever capture me until the last 100 pages （of over 600）。 Lee's vivid prose is lyrical， bordering on Shakespearean， and a wonder to behold at times。 During a sex scene with Nenita in chapter 15， Lee writes: "Do something lovely and filthy to each other， all the better。 If only one of us got to climax come or even neither， so that there was no discrete beginning or end to the want and we were acting out the middle of the story， over and over and over。 Every notation becoming the pleasure， continually accruing an unending sentence。"Unfortunately for this reader， the prose did not reach that climax neatly-- lean and clean--but seemed like there was no discrete beginning or end， but endless sentences with little momentum moving the action forward until the last section。 By that time it was too late--all the drama packed in so tightly， that this reader was wondering: why didn't Lee structure the climax earlier and with more even pacing？I first posted this review in New York Journal of Books on February 2， 2021 https://www。nyjournalofbooks。com/book。。。 。。。more
Nelda Brangwin
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Maybe it is just because there has been a lot of publicity about this book， but I was disappointed。 I really enjoyed Native Speaker and was surprised that the 500 pages of Lee’s new book did not have more substance， but there is plenty of social comment。 I just wished I cared more about Tiller， the main character as he tried to figure out his semester abroad。 If nothing more it is a good travelogue taking readers to many areas with large Asian populations。
Katja （Life and Other Disasters）
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*I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！*CW: parental abandonment， suicidal ideation， mental illness， forced labor， forced sexual intercourse， sex workLet’s get it out of the way。 Unfortunately， I was not the right reader for this book。I had been very eager to pick up this novel， because of my own experiences abroad。 Be it during my formative High School years or later on in life， every time I went to a different country for a longer period of *I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review！*CW: parental abandonment， suicidal ideation， mental illness， forced labor， forced sexual intercourse， sex workLet’s get it out of the way。 Unfortunately， I was not the right reader for this book。I had been very eager to pick up this novel， because of my own experiences abroad。 Be it during my formative High School years or later on in life， every time I went to a different country for a longer period of time， I learned something about the world， about people and most importantly myself。 No matter where I stayed， it changed me and taught me valuable lessons。 I cherish those experiences and thought it would be a great connection to this story。 But no matter how hard I tried， I constantly found myself losing interest。Told between alternating timelines of now and the adventure that got Tiller to his present situation， I couldn’t always quite make the connection between the different scenarios。 I felt that the story was disjointed and didn’t evoke the emotional effect I had hoped for。 The journey abroad and its aftermath were so important， yet Tiller doesn’t even leave his country until about 40% into the book。While everything Tiller describes has a purpose， it’s still hard to follow him as he finds value in situations you wish he had never gotten into。 I don’t think anything ever goes smoothly when you set out for something potentially life-changing， but where he found himself along the way was among the worst that could happen。 There are some clear themes around parenthood， taking action （which Tiller does very late in the book， mostly being an inactive protagonist who things happen to rather than someone who makes things happen – but that’s all part of the journey！） kinship and the privilege of certain opportunities。 And yet， I still couldn’t always grasp the fondness for certain people and experiences I would have rather never thought of ever again， while Tiller had them on the highest of pedestals。Ultimately， I think that this style of writing just wasn’t for me。 I can see many literary fans rejoicing in the details， but I found myself drifting off mid-sentence as the descriptions became ever more elaborate and lengthy。 In general， this book was just too long， offering pages of minute details of various foods and drinks or other things， just information on top of information， but not the connection to me as a reader I really sought。 I am certain others will be able to appreciate Lee’s craftsmanship and skill more than I could。 Fazit: 2/5 stars！ Unfortunately， My Year Abroad failed to capture me。 。。。more
Katie Mac
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I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I really respect the twisty narrative and Chang-rae Lee's ability to keep track of all the characters and threads in the novel。 I went into it expecting， I think， more of the "Asian travels" side of things and less of Tiller's life afterward。 Oddly enough， I ended up engaging more with the descriptions of Tiller's post-travel life than I did his travels。 Sadly， I did not finish the book; I got halfway through， but it I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I really respect the twisty narrative and Chang-rae Lee's ability to keep track of all the characters and threads in the novel。 I went into it expecting， I think， more of the "Asian travels" side of things and less of Tiller's life afterward。 Oddly enough， I ended up engaging more with the descriptions of Tiller's post-travel life than I did his travels。 Sadly， I did not finish the book; I got halfway through， but it became too difficult for me to keep track of what was going on amidst the density。 I do think the writing is solid and would recommend it to readers looking for a new take on the Bildungsroman。 。。。more
Joann Im
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A humorous over the top yet poignant work from the brilliant Chang-Rae Lee swept us with another unique story that examines the human conditions。 Tiller is an average American college student with minimal aspirations where Pong is a larger-than-life Chinese American entrepreneur。 With a twist of fate， Tiller and Pong meets。 Pong intrigued with Tiller takes him under his wing and takes him on rollicking trips across Asia providing a series of extreme and eye-opening experiences that would transfo A humorous over the top yet poignant work from the brilliant Chang-Rae Lee swept us with another unique story that examines the human conditions。 Tiller is an average American college student with minimal aspirations where Pong is a larger-than-life Chinese American entrepreneur。 With a twist of fate， Tiller and Pong meets。 Pong intrigued with Tiller takes him under his wing and takes him on rollicking trips across Asia providing a series of extreme and eye-opening experiences that would transform him and his view of the world forever。 There is a reason why I've been a longtime fan of Chang-Rae Lee's works over the years。 Chang-Rae Lee is a masterful storyteller。 He is unafraid to showcase the vulnerability and the provocative in the themes of his stories through his ability as a writer in providing honest portrayal of humanity。 The writing style of this novel is an alternating timeline between Tiller's time abroad and his domestic life a year after。 The quiet and the slow pacing of this novel was a necessity in feeling lost and desolate with Tiller and experiencing the growth and the wisdom in his life。 It was in the details and the in-between the lines that evoked such strong emotions that left a lingering affect。 Tiller does experience grand adventures and events， but highlighting the everyday small and the mundane tasks captured a moment of clarity and resonance in the most intimate way。 There were many moments of myself pondering and appreciating these moving lines of beauty yet somber that mirrors life。 Chang-Rae Lee caters and places emphasis and meaning to each text without waste。 That is an epitome of a gifted wordsmith。The strong character development was crafted superbly。 There were many characters introduced in this novel but the author's meticulous approach created distinct voices that added depth and colors into each character and to the plot。 The complexities of these characters were never simply black or white。 The flawed and the so-called antagonist characters were just another extension and examination of the human condition。 The intricacies within this story build complex layers that seamlessly punches you with thought-provoking commentaries on capitalism， identity， parenthood， power， cultures and many more。 I experienced breath-stopping， heart-piercing and heartfelt moments from this read。 A profound and keen observant novel that is full of spirit and humor and a sincere story about love and belonging。 Reading Chang-Rae Lee's books are always an honor and provides a sense of gratitude for books like this are the engine that continues my love for reading。 Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
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Really strong writing but ultimately not my kind of book。 There are some great vivid scenes that glue the book together， but in between i found myself losing interest。 This is for sure for the fiction lovers out there。 A little too much going on and certainly too long。 I can appreciate the skill with which Lee writes but the story didn’t ever capture me until the end。
Leslie
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Powell's， 1-22-21 Powell's， 1-22-21 。。。more
Cat
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Chang-Rae Lee’s novel My Year Abroad is the story of Tiller， your everyday single-parented college kid who manages to “right place， right time” himself from washing dishes to traveling the globe as an assistant to Pong Lou， a generous mentor and local businessman。 Tiller’s adventure continues， albeit more domestically， with a sharp turn into suburban adulthood as he slips into a readymade family with an older woman and her young son upon his return to the States。 My Year Abroad will be released Chang-Rae Lee’s novel My Year Abroad is the story of Tiller， your everyday single-parented college kid who manages to “right place， right time” himself from washing dishes to traveling the globe as an assistant to Pong Lou， a generous mentor and local businessman。 Tiller’s adventure continues， albeit more domestically， with a sharp turn into suburban adulthood as he slips into a readymade family with an older woman and her young son upon his return to the States。 My Year Abroad will be released on February 2， 2021。 Thank you to Riverhead Books for the advance copy， which did not affect my review。 Our protagonist Tiller is self-proclaimed to be average in every way and he initially presents that way， aside from his remarkable insight， at his age， into his own emotional development and abandonment issues。 Tiller is a deep feeler and a deep thinker， just not much of a doer。 He’s washing dishes and waiting to head off for a college semester abroad when he meets Pong， an acquaintance of an acquaintance that offers him an amazing opportunity - travel to Asia with him to assist on a business trip - all expenses paid。 Tiller’s story of his time abroad is told interspersed with the story of his next adventure - that of a stand-in family man， having partnered quickly after meeting with Val and Victor Jr。， an early 30’s mom & her young son， as they navigate suburbia in witness protection。 My Year Abroad is the first work I have read from Chang-Rae Lee。 Not sure how I happened to be the bookseller to snag the lone advance copy in the break room but like Tiller I’m not questioning my luck。 This was a hell of a story， almost 500 pages but I wanted more and more。 Lee writes the way I think， long paragraph-like sentences that I kept wanting to stop and read aloud to someone。 I loved how the story jumped back and forth between his time in Asia and his time with Val & Veej， and I love the great range of emotions it evoked that made this hard to put down。 I was laying on the couch last night after finishing the book trying to gather & process my thoughts when I remembered， and subsequently cried about， a few lines about toast。 I didn’t make any note of it while reading and didn’t think that particular bit would even stick with me， Tiller making toast at home alone after school， but last night I cried thinking about that scene days after I read it。 That’s good writing。 This is a good book。 This is the sort of book that makes me glad I’m a reader。 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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One hell of a ride。 4。5 stars。
Auds
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This is not my kind of book。 Not the forte I like。 This is too realistic for me。 But I don`t hate itentirely。 It took me places and into situations that if I was the one making the decisions I wouldmess it up。It follows the life of Tiller a young American college student who sees nothing special abouthimself。 He thinks he is nothing more than an ordinary college student but Pong—a collegestudent just like Tiller but owns a business- sees Tiller as something who has potential。 The lifeof Tiller c This is not my kind of book。 Not the forte I like。 This is too realistic for me。 But I don`t hate itentirely。 It took me places and into situations that if I was the one making the decisions I wouldmess it up。It follows the life of Tiller a young American college student who sees nothing special abouthimself。 He thinks he is nothing more than an ordinary college student but Pong—a collegestudent just like Tiller but owns a business- sees Tiller as something who has potential。 The lifeof Tiller changes as he met Pong。 They soon travel to Asia for a business trip and thus start thejourney of Tiller facing strange things he has yet to experience。 Including being with an olderwoman with her son， a non-stop party， overflowing alcohols， sex and， things no one knows whatis。 There are a lot of things that are happening in this story but you will not get confused as thiswas a well-narrated story。 A lot of it was explained but some things are just left unanswered。Like in our daily life questions aren`t always answered。 This was not just the pursuit ofhappiness and wealth but the pursuit of knowing one`s self。It boggles me that I find this more of a true story than a novel。 Well， from a different perspectivethat is a good thing because that means it is too good that I had imagined that it was true。 Butno， it was nothing but a novel。 A well-narrated， twisty， and clever story。 The characters and thesettings were too many for me but it was not hard to understand。 。。。more
James Beggarly
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This is really wonderful。 Tiller is an average college student from the poorer end of an affluent New Jersey suburb who gets scooped up by a fascinating older man named Pong Lou who sees potential in Tiller and brings him all around Asia as his assistant as Pong and his business associates try to launch a new health drink。 The book tells two stories: Tillers year abroad and then the present day story about the two people he’s living with， an older woman， Val， and her son Victor Jr， who are livin This is really wonderful。 Tiller is an average college student from the poorer end of an affluent New Jersey suburb who gets scooped up by a fascinating older man named Pong Lou who sees potential in Tiller and brings him all around Asia as his assistant as Pong and his business associates try to launch a new health drink。 The book tells two stories: Tillers year abroad and then the present day story about the two people he’s living with， an older woman， Val， and her son Victor Jr， who are living in a witness protection house。 The two stories are wildly drawn and so much fun， written by a writer who is at the top of his game。 There’s at least one remarkable sentence per page。 。。。more
Jessica Woodbury
，
A modern update on the classic bildungsroman that is absolutely full of surprises。 It is packed full of enough themes for a college lit course， but strongest among them are love， identity， race， and the old trope of East meets West。 When I say this is like a classic bildungsroman， I mean it quite literally。 In the early chapters I had the impression I was reading something like David Copperfield or Jane Eyre。 The way our narrator addresses us， the way he refers to the adventure he is about to un A modern update on the classic bildungsroman that is absolutely full of surprises。 It is packed full of enough themes for a college lit course， but strongest among them are love， identity， race， and the old trope of East meets West。 When I say this is like a classic bildungsroman， I mean it quite literally。 In the early chapters I had the impression I was reading something like David Copperfield or Jane Eyre。 The way our narrator addresses us， the way he refers to the adventure he is about to undertake， it is all carefully crafted。 And yet in the midst of that 19th century setup is a distinctly 21st century story， our hero， Tiller， is at the beginning a person of little consequence。 He is a little below average in almost every way， he has hardly any distinguishing characteristics besides the fact that he is biracial （he is 1/8th Korean） but passing as white and that his mother left his family when he was young。 The narration has that old school feel in part because the voice never really feels like a 20-year-old man， not even a little， even when the prose is dotted with slang or strange references， it feels like a 20-year-old the same way a Dickens story does。 Our story gets going when Tiller meets Pong， a Chinese immigrant and entrepreneur。 Pong is one of those charismatic people who seems to know and be friends with everyone。 He is the guy you call when you need almost anything。 He is generous and happy to help his friends。 And when he meets Tiller he sees something immediately。 This is a surprise to Tiller， who doesn't see all that much in himself。 But he hasn't yet realized the deep longing he has for a parental figure， for someone who is proud of him， that makes him entirely vulnerable to do anything Pong asks， including a business trip to Asia where things get。。。 weird。 You know they will get weird because Tiller tells you so， as the chapters switch between his going back to tell his story and looking to where he has landed afterwards， as the semi-boyfriend and semi-stepfather to an older woman and her son。 This is not a particularly normal story either， and it seems a strange place for a 20-year-old man who was supposed to be heading back to college。 This story has its own unusual twists and turns， but is more rooted in Tiller's ever-growing connection to this quasi-family and his own reckoning with the loss of his mother and of Pong。As Tiller travels， everyone sees something in him that he has never seen in himself。 Everyone imbues him with their own confidence in his skills， which is terrifying and exhilarating for him。 And how he sees himself begins to change。 Especially as his time in Asia is not so much a trip abroad as it is a kind of homecoming， a way to discard the American-ness he has never been fully comfortable with and pick up a new identity。 This is a long book， and I cannot really capture here how strange it is， but I really enjoyed reading it。 I was worried it was going to be too long or too difficult but it never was。 It was completely readable， though I found the prose to be sometimes too much of a highwire act， it is certainly distinctive in its voice， and there is always something unfolding to dive into。 I finished it quite quickly， actually。 There aren't an abundance of content warnings here but the most notable are the use of a kind of roofie， sexual assault （kind of， this one is a weird one but there is definitely a loss of bodily autonomy and a sexual element so this is the best fit）， and attempted suicide。 。。。more
Kim McGee
，
What a wild and crazy book that goes from soft lovable moments to insane gangster-like situations in Asia。 Tiller is a likable 20-year-old who happens to be befriended by a wealthy businessman who is developing a wonder drink and he invites Tiller to Asia to promote it。 This leads to a race around Asia involving late nights， lots of alcohol， and other crazy situations and it isn't too long before Tiller realizes he is in over his head as is his mentor Pong。 The tandem story is when Tiller comes What a wild and crazy book that goes from soft lovable moments to insane gangster-like situations in Asia。 Tiller is a likable 20-year-old who happens to be befriended by a wealthy businessman who is developing a wonder drink and he invites Tiller to Asia to promote it。 This leads to a race around Asia involving late nights， lots of alcohol， and other crazy situations and it isn't too long before Tiller realizes he is in over his head as is his mentor Pong。 The tandem story is when Tiller comes home and meets Val and her young son who are on the run and part of the witness protection program。 Val and Tiller have a mutually secretive relationship but it is easy to see how he dotes on Val's young son。Each will have to trust the other with more of their story and even though we can't always see the thread that holds these stories together， the author does a great job of tying up the loose ends。 It is a story of love and connection。 The writing style is nice and easy with just enough humor that you can't help liking Tiller while you are shaking your head at his lack of good judgment。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more
Megan
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In this book is beautifully written book， a young man hung up on his mother's abandonment is taken under the wing of a successful businessman。 In this book is beautifully written book， a young man hung up on his mother's abandonment is taken under the wing of a successful businessman。 。。。more
Cathe Fein Olson
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This novel started out great--alternating between a younger Tiller who gets pulled into an exciting adventure with Chinese American entrepreneur Pong and current Tiller hiding out in a suburban town with a woman and her son。 The characters and adventures were quirky and intriguing， and the writing was good。 It was fun to see （younger） Tiller discover new talents and interest 。。。 but it's a long book that keeps adding characters and places to keep track of。 This novel started out great--alternating between a younger Tiller who gets pulled into an exciting adventure with Chinese American entrepreneur Pong and current Tiller hiding out in a suburban town with a woman and her son。 The characters and adventures were quirky and intriguing， and the writing was good。 It was fun to see （younger） Tiller discover new talents and interest 。。。 but it's a long book that keeps adding characters and places to keep track of。 。。。more
Diane Payne
，
Lee's novel about Tiller's year abroad may make college students regret their safe journeys while away from campus。 Then again， our twenty-year-old Tiller， isn't a typical fellow， even though he is portrayed as your average student。 After caddying for some rather wild entrepreneurs， Tiller is invited to go to Asia on a business trip， to help promote this miracle drink， because Tiller has such amazing taste buds。 While in Asia， he also learns he can sing， do yoga， make love for incredibly long pe Lee's novel about Tiller's year abroad may make college students regret their safe journeys while away from campus。 Then again， our twenty-year-old Tiller， isn't a typical fellow， even though he is portrayed as your average student。 After caddying for some rather wild entrepreneurs， Tiller is invited to go to Asia on a business trip， to help promote this miracle drink， because Tiller has such amazing taste buds。 While in Asia， he also learns he can sing， do yoga， make love for incredibly long periods， and withstand a fair amount of pain， when the joyride ends and he is expected to make curry。 Returning home， he meets a woman in her thirties with her eight-year-old son， on their way to their new witness protection home， and he moves in with them， quickly becoming her lover， and more gradually the young boy's father。If I were to read these two descriptions of he novel， I'm not sure I'd read he novel。 Why his wild， zany novel works is because Lee has such amazing writing， and he provides some incredible insights and details， both humorous and sad， and even though we go from Asia to a nondescript town in Jersey， back and forth like a pinball game， what holds this novel together is the beautiful writing， the joyful truths， and the bleak realities。 。。。more
Diane Payne
，
Lee's novel about Tiller's year abroad may make college students regret their safe journeys while away from campus。 Then again， our twenty-year-old Tiller， isn't a typical fellow， even though he is portrayed as your average student。 After caddying for some rather wild entrepreneurs， Tiller is invited to go to Asia on a business trip， to help promote this miracle drink， because Tiller has such amazing taste buds。 While in Asia， he also learns he can sing， do yoga， make love for incredibly long pe Lee's novel about Tiller's year abroad may make college students regret their safe journeys while away from campus。 Then again， our twenty-year-old Tiller， isn't a typical fellow， even though he is portrayed as your average student。 After caddying for some rather wild entrepreneurs， Tiller is invited to go to Asia on a business trip， to help promote this miracle drink， because Tiller has such amazing taste buds。 While in Asia， he also learns he can sing， do yoga， make love for incredibly long periods， and withstand a fair amount of pain， when the joyride ends and he is expected to make curry。 Returning home， he meets a woman in her thirties with her eight-year-old son， on their way to their new witness protection home， and he moves in with them， quickly becoming her lover， and more gradually the young boy's father。If I were to read these two descriptions of the novel， I'm not sure I'd read the novel。 Why his wild， zany novel works is because Lee has such amazing writing， and he provides some incredible insights and details， both humorous and sad， and even though we go from Asia to a nondescript town in Jersey， back and forth like a pinball game， what holds this novel together is the beautiful writing， the joyful truths， and the bleak realities。 。。。more
Candace
，