Homeseeking

De: Karissa Chen

Narrado por: Katharine Chin, Kenneth Lee

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

“Sweeping and epic…An impactful love story, told against the backdrop of historical events…One of the best debut novels of this century.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Like any tried-and-true epic (think “Pachinko” or “The Joy Luck Club”… Homeseeking is just a genuine pleasure to read.”—San Francisco Chronicle

A single choice can define an entire life.

Haiwen is buying bananas at a 99 Ranch Market 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.

Suchi was seven when she first met Haiwen in their Shanghai neighborhood, drawn by the sound of his violin. Their childhood friendship blossomed into soul-deep love, but when Haiwen secretly enlisted in the Nationalist army in 1947 to save his brother from the draft, she was left with just his violin and a note: Forgive me.

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, telling Haiwen’s story from the present to the past while tracing Suchi’s from her childhood to the present, meeting in the crucible of their lives. 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.

At once epic and intimate, Homeseeking is a story of family, sacrifice, and loyalty, and of the power of love to endure beyond distance, beyond time.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains notes from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Karissa Chen (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

A GMA Book Club Pick
A December Book of the Month Pick
A Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick
A Vogue Best Book of the Year
A People Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A BookBub Best Book of Winter
A Reader’s Digest Most Anticipated Book of the Year
A Chicago Review of Books Must Read Book

“Fans of historical fiction will want to pick up this exceptional novel immediately.”—Los Angeles Times

“Those waiting to read one of the best books of 2025 don’t have to wait long. Homeseeking, by Karissa Chen, has arrived on the scene early—and it’s a towering achievement in storytelling…When people use the terms “sweeping” and “epic,” which absolutely describe this book, it is implied that there is a payoff after a long wait, but in Homeseeking, the payoff is in the small intimate moments between the two protagonists and their interconnected journeys…Chen masterfully packs in a considerable amount of history without overtaking the characters’ lives and stories, and her willingness to have characters flip back and forth between various languages further drives home the biggest takeaway the novel has to offer: Identity is always shifting. Yet, these shifting identities are perhaps why Chen’s characters never stop seeking their true home…One of the best debut novels of this century.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Wonderfully cinematic, gorgeously orchestrated… Like any tried-and-true epic … the reason Homeseeking is ultimately so successful is because of Chen’s talent for seamlessly blending her characters’ deeply nuanced personal stories with far-reaching historical events to explore universal themes about the human condition: love and loss, sacrifice and regret, hope and renewal.”—San Francisco Chronicle

Surprisingly good

I only read this bec i had to for school but it was pretty good. i like the narrator a lot

What a beautiful story!

The storytelling in this novel is wonderful! Detailed and rich, but never boring. I love the way the author describes an attempt to go back home, I have experienced the same emotions when I did the same. I love that the story looks at different ways of being brave. The narration is wonderful, and I very much appreciated being able to hear the words pronounced.

Great Book!

Enjoyed this historical fiction book about the Cultural Revolution. Excellent readers! I learned a lot about life at that time.

Historical fiction

PAUSE ABC’s for a preorder 💗 Homeseeking : ⭐️⭐️⭐️. 83 historical fiction - How events in history and responsibilities help mold the paths you end up taking vs the ones you might have taken if only…… and the lies you tell to save others feelings …. Chapters broken down into years and places

Vivid characters, uniquely delivered histories

The story being told historically forward for one main character and retrospectively for the other and finally converging was fresh and new.

Wonderful story

Loved the depth of the characters, learning about the different languages within the different areas of the countries and the Asian history. Highly recommend

Masterful and Beautiful

Absolutely loved this beautifully crafted story. Spanning decades, following many well-developed characters, an incredible story of China, a love story, and what it means to be a mother. The best book by far I’ve read in years. Quite simply a masterpiece.

The most beautiful love story I’ve read in a long time

This story is told through two perspectives, Suchi’s story moving forward in time and Haiwen’s moving backward - showing how two people can process memories and experiences differently, but be so closely intertwined. Now one of my favorite books of all time.

Sushi was great, Heiwan was annoying 😬

The male version of this audiobook was deeply annoying. It was difficult to listen to the over acting.

Living with regrets

I just don’t know how to feel about the story- the way it ended I loved the characters and felt for their unfortunate trials. I wanted more for them.. but considering it is based on true historical facts, these fictional characters ended with more than those that, in real life, went through these trials