Homeseeking
Karissa Chen (2025)
Wednesday, February 18, 1pm
Haiwen
is buying bananas at a supermarket in Los Angeles when he looks up and
sees Suchi, his Suchi, for the first time in sixty years. To recently
widowed Haiwen it feels like a second chance, but Suchi has only
survived by refusing to look back. Homeseeking follows the separated
lovers through six decades of tumultuous Chinese history as war, famine,
and opportunity take them separately to the song halls of Hong Kong,
the military encampments of Taiwan, the bustling streets of New York,
and sunny California. Throughout, Haiwen holds his memories close while
Suchi forces herself to look only forward, neither losing sight of the
home they hold in their hearts.
**Click here to see content warnings.
Resources:
- Author's homepage (including a PDF download reader's guide with discussion questions)
- Another reader's guide/discussion questions
To augment your reading:
- Chen created a playlist for Haiwen and Suchi on YouTube.
- Photographs from 1947-49 Shanghai by Life Magazine photographer, Jack Birns
