Little Wonder

A Novel

De: Sophie Chen Keller

A musical prodigy and his mother spend years searching for each other in this beautiful novel of hope, perseverance, and love.

A SWEEPING NOVEL FROM JENNA BUSH HAGER’S NEW VENTURE, THOUSAND VOICES.

Song is a nobody—just a food delivery worker from a village in Northeastern China—but her son, River, is a little wonder.

At the age of three, he toddled to a piano and tapped out his favorite song. At five, he mastered Liszt's three Liebestraume; at eight, he blazed through the complete set of Chopin's études. And at every step, through the valleys of loss, illness, and poverty, Song is there to light his way—until finally, at the age of eleven, River is invited to study with a preeminent teacher in Beijing.

But in the chaos of Beijing Railway Station on the busiest day of the year, Song faces every mother's nightmare: She loses her grip on River’s little hand and is unable to find him after a desperate, harrowing search.

Over the next days, weeks, and eventually, years, Song and River fight to forge a path back to each other as they carve out new lives that carry them farther apart. An evocative exploration of a mother’s love and a son’s yearning, Little Wonder takes us on an extraordinary journey through a modern Beijing that pulses with the music of humanity and its impossible—and impossibly brave—hopes.

As every musician knows: You start in one key. You wander to other keys, strange and distant places. But in the end, you always come back home.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“The tale of Song and River will pull you in. Little Wonder is an immersive journey amid the sights and sounds of urban China as a migrant mother and son follow a seemingly impossible dream inspired by their love of music—and their devotion to each other. So much of the telling of this story is in the details, from the jostling crowds at the railway station and the swarm of delivery workers on their scooters to small acts of kindness that sustain the characters in their worst moments. Keep something handy to dry your eyes.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Good Dirt and Black Cake

“At once heartbreaking and hopeful, Little Wonder is a delicate rendering of the enduring bond of a mother and son, even when the world is against them. Capturing the life-changing kindness of strangers, the magic of music, and the power of found family, Sophie Chen Keller’s deftly imagined tale will make your heart soar.”—Mikki Brammer, author of The Collected Regrets of Clover

“A beautiful debut about the love of a mother and child tragically separated, devoted and determined to find their way back to each other. Little Wonder explores the unbreakable bonds of family and the intrinsic goodness of human nature, filled with pathos and kindness from the most unexpected of places. It will transport you through the power of music and into the heaving metropolis of a modern Beijing, alive with energy, hustle, and an eye toward the future. You can’t help but root for these unforgettable characters.”—Emma Nanami Strenner, author of My Other Heart