The Foreigner

It is rare for a new author to write a novel that reads and feels like one produced by a seasoned writer. But this is true for The Foreigner. Francie Lin captures the conflictual psychology of Emerson, the main character, in highly convincing detail. The plot is definitely "noir" but more contemporary in its many insinuations and realities. The clash of modern American and traditional Taiwainese cultures are shown in all their vividness. This is a debut novel not to be missed.

This is unlike any noir I've read . It's about an average, if kind of noble, character who faces down some really violent and dangerous people in order to save his brother -- although his brother may not want to be saved. The narrator, Emerson, is really endearing, his voice is so funny and poetic, and once he is tossed into the noir circumstances of the story, it gets very interesting. I highly recommend this to both crime and literary readers.

I've enjoyed Francie Lin's writing for years, in short stories and essays. I don't read many thrillers, but I couldn't pass on Lin's first novel. I wasn't disappointed. Her prose sings--and this novel is no exception. You can read all the glowing reviews on line, so I'll simply add this: if you love great prose that reads like poetry and renews your faith in language and literature, buy this book. The quirky characters, subtle humor, sharp details, and climactic ending are just gravy.

In the simplest terms, The Foreigner is a thriller about a second-generation Taiwanese-American who travels to Taiwan to extricate his brother from the violent criminal underworld of Taipei. It would be more accurate, however, to describe The Foreigner as a sensitive exploration of family relationships--an assimilated son to his immigrant mother, an American brother to his Taiwanese brother--wrapped in the guise of a thriller. This unique blend is fast-paced like a traditional thriller, but far more haunting on a personal level. Likewise, Lin's prose is superior to that of the typical thriller, and her terse yet evocative style is reminiscent of a prose poem: "A large, warty piece of galangal hung suspended in its matrix like an embryo, while a ceramic plat on the sideboard labored under ten tiers of lucky bamboo." "The streets looked deserted, loose garbage tumbling in the gutters, the convenience stores like remote white beacons in the chaotic dark." Although the plot occasionally loses its direction and certain loose ends are left hanging, the powerful ending makes up for the waywardness and delivers something substantial and lasting. Recommended, particularly for those who enjoy thrillers.

In a harrowing novel that plucks a devoted, nearly forty-year-old son from his mother's side in America to the unfamiliar alleys of the Taiwanese criminal underground, Lin delivers a tale that is unpredictable and filled with unnamed menace. Emerson Chang, the dutiful son, has always done his best, attentive to his mother as the years pass, a woman inordinately proud of her motel, the Remada, her livelihood as an immigrant. A reliable employee faithfully devoted to his mother's needs, Emerson has met every demand, except one, meeting for dinner and a scolding every week. But so far, this bachelor has not found "one of our kind" to marry, all his mother requires for contentment. Meanwhile, younger brother, Little P, has gone back to Taipei, where he has remained for the last ten years, avoiding contact with his family in America. After his mother's sudden death, a grieving Emerson receives even more troubling news: the Remada has been left exclusively to Little P, the favorite son. Emerson is to inherit a piece of property in his parent's home country, a former residence. Further, he is to deliver her ashes to Little P in Taipei for a proper burial. Motel documents in hand, a still-shocked son travels to meet his younger brother, with no idea how the boy might have changed. Their reunion is not propitious, Little P holding a knife at Emerson's throat until he realizes who he is. Little P's face is battered, ragged stitches across his face from a recent altercation, a sign that life might not be as stable as Emerson's years in America. With no language skills save English, Emerson depends on Little P for translation as he meets a variety of shady cousins and a mute old uncle who owns the karaoke bar where Little P works, the club shabby and filled with rowdy groups, gambling, drinking, all of this environment confusing to Emerson as he vainly tries to make a connection with Little P other than a financial transaction. But Little P will not be pinned down, hinting at dark and unforgivable deeds and current danger, always on the move and desperate for money, a world of shadows and lies. Lin's Taipei is a maze of chattering crowds and unpredictable events, a volatile political landscape and the pervasive corruption of the criminal underground, of which Little P seems to be such a vital part. Clutching his mother's ashes, Emerson bravely follows Little P from one violence-fraught situation to another, appealing to his brother's dormant emotions while Little P evades and dissembles. A charming, if clumsy romanticist, Emerson meets two women on his adventure, the lovely Grace and the foul-mouthed, good-natured Angel, neither of which can solve his particular predicament. In over his head, Emerson accidentally accrues a huge gambling debt, pursued by his cousin, Poison, who demands money or revenge- on Little P, Grace, or Angel, even Emerson if need be. As the danger ratchets up, so does Emerson's determination to help his brother and reclaim their rel