Homeseeking

By: Karissa Chen

Narrated by: 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

Critic reviews

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

“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. … One of the best debut novels of this century.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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

"This generational, inter-continental love story is a testament to the enduring power of finding your home." —Harper’s Bazaar

Beautiful

Beautiful story amazing narration my favorite book this year ! If you enjoy a wonderful historical novel with excellent characters and gifted writing you will love this

Surprisingly good

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

How the story was told

Great listen. A beautiful love story. Optimistic yet heartbreaking, written and unfolds in an interesting way.

Great Book!

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

Poignant

This book was the very definition of poignant. It's a great story that crosses oceans, time zones and, lives. It's a great read.

Wonderful character development an incredibly detailed history

I enjoyed all of it! It was a beautiful novel filled with both tragedy and hope!

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.

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

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.

60years of relationship

The fortune teller: yuanfen between suqi and haiwen
The night before haiwen enrolled in the army, it made me burst into tears;
Hong Kong: when suqi met haiwen again, she was supposed to kill herself but surprisingly met him. The reunion made me cry. And because haiwen’s marriage, suqi decided to move on and go back to reality. And she handed over her choice to others and stopped fighting ever since.
I am glad they reunited in la and decided to make up the time together. No label, just suqi and haiwen. Just them. No word can describe them.