The Foreigner Francie Lin Picador $14.00 Trade Paperback June 08

Emerson Chang and his brother little P haven't seen each other in ten years. Emerson lives in the United States taking care of their mother. Little P went back to Taiwan. With their mothers sudden death, Emerson goes back to Taiwan to fulfill the requests of her will. Emerson, a mild mannered forty year old, finds his younger brother is in trouble with the criminals he's taken up with. Emerson sets out to rectify all the conflicting incidents. It's a difficult task as he speaks very little Chinese. Francie Lin weaves an interesting, convoluted trail with multiple situations arising as Emerson meets and has to deal with both friend and foe. Politics, crime, and the undertones of a romance all play out in The Foreigner. Francie Lin spent some time in Taiwan and uses the feelings a foreigner has for unfamiliar surroundings to good advantage, weaving the city of Taipei itself into the novel as yet another character for Emerson to deal with.

Dave Biemann