Beginning in 1861 and spanning seven decades, The Road Afar weaves together the stories of real-life Chinese American entrepreneur Chin Gee Hee, who was instrumental in the building of the first railways in Seattle and southern China, and the love of his life, Muk-fong, one of the few women to join the wave of Chinese men who immigrated to the United States in the second half of the nineteenth century. It is the saga of their struggle to reunite and ultimately build a life together in the fledgling settlement of Seattle, but it is also a tribute to the first generation of Chinese Americans, and countless other immigrants from around the world, who crossed an ocean and braved bigotry and hardship in search of a better life.
A Chinese-American author’s debut novel, one of Dangdang’s Most Influential Novels/Novelists of 2022*. A historical novel based on life story of Chin Gee Hee, “Jim Hill of China”, a Chinese merchant, labor contractor and railway entrepreneur. From this novel, you’ll also read Chin’s vivid story with local people, including Chief Seattle of the Duwamish and his family, founding mayor of Seattle Henry Yesler, and Thomas Burk, who was chief justice of Supreme Court of the Washington Territory from 1888-1889.
Ever since she was a little girl, Muk-fong has been able to sense things to come. And one thing she knows with certainty: she and her childhood friend, Ah-Hee, belong together. But when Ah- Hee marries a stranger in an arranged ceremony just weeks before crossing the treacherous waters of the Pacific to the “Gold Mountain” of the American West, Muk-fong’s vision of her future shatters. The matchmakers will soon be knocking on her father’s door.
In America, seventeen-year-old Ah-Hee faces perils from the moment he sets foot in San Francisco. He is abducted, almost sold into slavery, and beaten nearly to death. Through it all, Ah-Hee holds on to the hope of getting back to Muk-fong someday and making up for the arranged marriage and everything else. But when a fire targeting the Chinese community destroys his savings and lands him in jail, he begins to despair of ever seeing her again.
The Road Afar will appeal to fans of historical novels such as The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes and Jenny Tingui Zhang’s Four Treasures of the Sky.
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* Most Influential Novels/Novelists of the Year is part of Most Influential Authors Lists, which is organized by one of the largest online bookstores Dandang.com and released annually. As one of the biggest literary event, it receives millions of votes every year. After two rounds of nomination, a jury board of experts will decide the final winners. There are about 15 lists announced. The name of each list may vary from year to year. But it often covers authors of fiction, non-fiction, finance, children, parenting, web novels and education, both Chinese and foreign. The whole selection process usually lasts for about 20 days and the final lists will be announced around World Book Day. For Most Influential Novel/Novelists of 2022, other novel/novelist on the list including Wen Cheng by Yu Hua, A Late Bloomer by Mo Yan, and Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin etc.
