The Distant Land of My Father

About this book

A Los Angeles Times Bestseller, award-winning author Bo Caldwell's The Distant Land of My Father is "a powerful, fictional memoir of longing and guilt that will resonate with curious, sensitive daughters and with independent, perhaps secretive, fathers" (The News & Observer -Raleigh)Anna, the narrator of this riveting novel, lives in a storybook world: exotic pre-World War II Shanghai, with handsome young parents, wealth, and comfort. Her father, the son of missionaries, leads a charmed and secretive life, though his greatest joy is sharing his beloved city with his only daughter. Yet when Anna and her mother flee Japanese-occupied Shanghai to return to California, he stays behind, believing his connections and a little bit of luck will keep him safe. Through Anna's memories and her father's journals we learn of his fall from charismatic millionaire to tortured prisoner, in a story of betrayal and reconciliation that spans two continents. Breathtaking and richly lyrica, The Distant Land of My Father unfolds to reveal an enduring family love through tragic circumstances.