Library Manager
Manage your library—your way. Keep a running list or organize the books you've read into little stacks. i.e. Beach Reads, Cozy Covers, True Crime, etc.
A Gesture Life
A Literary Fiction Novel by Chang-Rae Lee
Subgenres:
- World War II,
- Asian Diaspora,
- Family Drama
This book is for you if you're into...
- Quietly suspenseful stories about secrets beneath perfect suburban lives
- Characters wrestling with identity and belonging across cultures
- Historical trauma surfacing in the present through memory and regret
The second novel from the New York Times–bestselling author Chang-rae Lee.
A Gesture Life is the story of a proper man, an upstanding citizen who has come to epitomize the decorous values of his New York suburban town. Courteous, honest, hardworking, and impenetrable, Franklin Hata, a Japanese man of Korean birth, is careful never to overstep his boundaries and to make his neighbors comfortable in his presence. Yet as his story unfolds, precipitated by the small events surrounding him, we see his life begin to unravel. Gradually we learn the mystery that has shaped the core of his being: his terrible, forbidden love for a young Korean Comfort Woman when he served as a medic in the Japanese army during World War II.
In A Gesture Life, Chang-rae Lee leads us with dazzling control through a taut, suspenseful story about love, family, and community—and the secrets we harbor. As in Native Speaker, he writes of the ways outsiders conform in order to survive and the price they pay for doing so. It is a haunting, breathtaking display of talent by an acclaimed young author.
Follow This Author
Sign up & we'll email you when a new title is available for pre-order or hits the bookshelf
A Tender Age
2026
My Year Abroad
2021
Coming Home Again
2016
On Such a Full Sea
2013
The Surrendered
2010
Aloft
2004
Little Stacks of Modern & Literary Fiction
Homecoming Books That Force You to Confront the Past
Old wounds, family secrets, and reunions wait on every page.
Heartwarming Friendship Books About Unexpected Bonds
From childhood pals to chance reunions these reads spark hope and heartfelt joy.
Get Free & Discounted eBooks
Curated reads, irresistible prices—subscribe now