"Homeseeking" by Karissa Chen (Review)

In January 2008, while shopping at 99 Ranch, Haiwen sees Suchi for the first time in years. They converse but leave the grocery store without exchanging phone numbers. Haiwen and Suchi meet again at a mutual friend’s eightieth birthday party. They start to meet up for lunch when Suchi invites Haiwen to Chuxi, Spring Festival Eve. Each encounter Haiwen and Suchi have results with the same ending: while Haiwen wants to learn more about Suchi’s past, Suchi pushes back, preferring to leave the past behind and move forward. 

Suchi and Haiwen met in Shanghai when Haiwen moved into her neighborhood. Haiwen is a gifted violinist, while Suchi dreams of becoming a singer. Their friendship develops into love; however, Haiwen secretly enlists in the Nationalist army to protect his older brother, and Haiwen and Suchi separate.

Homeseeking recounts their separation through six decades of Chinese history. Homeseeking is a nonlinear narrative, and Karissa Chen unfolds the narrative using flashbacks and alternating perspectives. Alternating between Haiwen and Suchi allows for a richer narrative, allowing readers to see events unfold from both their perspectives. For example, initially, we get Suchi’s perspective when we learn about Haiwen enlisting in the Nationalist army. We sympathisize with her betrayal and loneliness because we believe Haiwen made the decision so flippantly. As we continue reading, we receive Haiwen’s perspective and understand that there’s more to the decision. Chen’s use of alternating perspectives creates nuance, adds layers of depth to the story, and keeps readers engaged. 

Published on January 7th of this year, I picked up the book to complete a Goodreads challenge. The novel was featured in several challenges, but I decided to complete a challenge that tackled a longer page length. Homeseeking is 512 pages long. Despite its daunting page length, Homeseeking does not drag. Karissa Chen covers six decades' worth of Chinese history, which is no easy feat. I have a small frame of reference for Chinese history. In school, we briefly focused on Imperial China, and most of my knowledge of Modern China stems from movies, such as Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, which focused on the Japanese occupation of China during World War II, and books, such as Red Scarf Girl, a memoir by Ji-li Jiang about her experiences during the Cultural Revolution. Reading Homeseeking was a treat because it helped bridge that wide gap of information.

For me, one of the best parts of the novel is when Haiwen reunites with his siblings. It’s a chapter filled with varying emotions. Chen creates anxious uncertainty as Haiwen sends out inquiries regarding the whereabouts of his mother, and suspense when he does not learn news right away. The moment he learns that his sister is alive filled me with tears. It’s a heartbreaking chapter, where we see the title of the book hold more significance. What makes a home? Is it a physical space for people to live in? Or should we look at a home in more abstract terms? Homeseeking is more than just a love story between two lovers divided by a never-ending war. It’s about people and their constant struggle to seek a sense of connection and belonging.