The Piano Teacher.

Lee, Janice Y. K. (author).

It is 1952 and the British government has just transferred newly married Martin Pendleton to Hong Kong with his young, naive bride, Claire. Looking to keep herself busy while her husband is working, Claire takes a job as a piano teacher to Locket Chen, the daughter of an upperclass Chinese family. Bored by her husband and surprised by her own desire for something exciting, Claire is lured by the colony’s exotic ways and lavish lifestyle. She begins an affair with the mysterious Will Truesdale, the Chen’s chauffer, whose tragic past is marked by war, betrayal, and a deep, passionate relationship with a beautiful, Eurasian socialite, Trudy Liang. When Will’s past collides with Claire’s present, Claire can only watch, stunned, as her delicately orchestrated life falls apart. Lee’s debut novel shifts back and forth between Claire’s story in 1952 and Will’s past in 1942’s war-torn Hong Kong. Lee has created the sort of interesting, complex characters, especially in Trudy, that drive a rich and intimate look at what happens to people under extraordinary circumstances.