Lost Men

by Brian Leung

A novel of rare grace and power, Lost Men is the story of a father and a son each confronting his past. Westen Chan was just eight years old when his Caucasian mother died and his father, Xin, sent him away to be raised by her relatives. Twenty years later, after a lifetime of estrangement, Westen receives an invitation from his father to travel with him to China—a prom-ise Xin once made when Westen was a child. So it is that two strangers—a father and a son—travel halfway around the world to a land that one of them knows intimately and the other has never seen. As they tour the country, the two men reveal themselves slowly and Westen’s history of failed relationships and his conflicted cultural identity; Xin’s regret at leaving his son and the terrible secret he’s kept too long. And in the end, their relationship may just hinge on the contents of a sealed letter written by Westen’s mother before her death—one that threatens to answer the lifelong question neither of them has dared to ask. Powerful, moving, and beautiful, Lost Men is a stunning literary novel that explores cultural and ethnic identity, the meaning of family, the exigencies of fate, and the lengths to which we will go to reconnect with those we fear we have lost. Brian Leung reveals both the intimate hearts of his characters and the telling details of place with equal and substantial grace.From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Damian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice story about a terminally ill father attempting to reconcile with the son he abandoned 25 years earlier. In general the book didn't do much for me. Kind of bland and predictable. The only thing in the whole book that surprised me was the rape revelation. I'll admit that as a father, I spent most of the book irritated with the father for abandoning his son at the age of 8 so I guess the author did manage to provoke a reaction in me.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly liked this book a lot. It's written in two first persons, alternating chapters. The story thread is advanced through them, no unnecessary rehashings, rather, continuous advancing created both by the technique and the content. For that matter, also by the two voices. I cared for both men, father and son, and for the incidental characters as well.

[Virginie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[NYLSpublishing · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is said that to begin to know one’s self, one must first thoroughly understand one’s parents. I wonder.

In Leung’s Lost Men Westin Chan – the sad, contemplative protagonist – finds that in his mid-thirties he still wrestles with his father’s abandonment of him as a child. The re-appearance of this enigmatic personality of whom he knows little of and who now wants to take him to China (no doubt to reveal some painful secret while in the land of Westin’s youth) brings no comfort or closure as might be reasonably expected.

Loss seems to be the dominant specter in this work. In its shadow the trepidation of impending loss and the reverberations of failed relationships hide. Westin’s inner monologues echo these reverberations without annotation he can later use, signaling to the reader in subtext that this character will endlessly “round-a-bout” these meditations ensuring for himself a life of unrelenting misery and loneliness.

While Lost Men is said not to be autobiographical, Leung’s voice in the work can easily convince otherwise: such is the nature of talent. Though not a weighty work of literary fiction, readers desiring something with a bit more substance than the marketplace’s current offerings and an avenue for introspection may find it here. Leung, it appears, has made an auspicious beginning.


© Joel Glenn, Book Critic –The NYLS Book Review, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was absolutely crying by the end of this. It's about love, family, identity ... all of the things that everyone goes through when growing up. Above all, it's about forgiveness -- of others, of yourself, of those who leave, of those who stay.

Most of the book is set in China, and some Chinese words are translated phonetically -- so it helps if you're familiar with the culture and the language, but that is not remotely necessary to enjoy the book. If you've ever lost someone, loved someone, hoped for something, had a hard time forgiving, been through tragedy -- and who hasn't experienced at least one of those things? -- then this book is for you.

[Mai Ling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read anything by a fellow half-Asian, but this is the best one yet.

The book revolves around Westen, whose blonde mom died when he was 8, leaving his Chinese dad to ... take off and leave him with white relatives along the Columbia Gorge.

So he's got not only identity issues, but daddy issues, too! But his father comes back when Westen is 32, and they begin a journey through China and each other's lives.

The writing is simple as well as poetic, the meanings are deep, the stories cross cultures. I could go on and on, but instead, why don't you just borrow the book from me? (Tara, you're first on my list!)

[Søren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never actually stuck through it, finished, and liked a book that I hated initially. This one's a first!
This story between an old father with regrets and a son who can't seem to really live was slow and painful at first, but as I kept reading I realized something: the essence of this story was the fact that life does not always turn out the way we expect. Life happens and we just have to learn what to do with what's thrown our way. (Keep that in mind for the ending, btw.)

I'd recommend this for philosophical-leaning, 'real life' story lovers.

[Valerie]

Note: I read the bound copy of the uncorrected proof, and I have no idea how this compares with the final copy. This book is very well written, and has some interesting details about Chinese culture, but ultimately, I felt a bit cheated. Each of the main characters has a secret that's dangled in front of the reader for most of the book, but there's really no payoff by the end. There's also a potential love interest that just fizzles out, too. I wanted to like it, but was left feeling disappointed.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost Men is a father-son book; the attempt to reconstruct a kinship connection in the most fragile ways. The promise a father kept might have come to late and a son has been tormented by years of estrangement. The novel is excellent at demonstrating how it can be the unobstrusive events which ultimately tear families and lovers apart. Regardless, relationality always has collateral damage. This book is about attempting to pick up the pieces.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful exploration of how our perceptions of what happened to us in childhood affect us in adulthood. Father son story of great emotional depth. Father and son come together for a trip to China after having not been in each other's lives for many years. Cultural, ethnic and sexual identifications are wondered about by the protagonist the boy who was abandoned into a loving home of his aunt and uncle. I really enjoyed this book.

[Randall Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on the shelf at Kinokuniya in Bangkok and thought it looked interesting. Judging the book by its cover as it were. I am so glad I bought it because it has been a thoroughly engrossing read. The story held my attention from beginning to end and the writing is brilliant. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys a good read.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think if I could have sat down and read this in one or two sittings instead of in dribs and drabs I would have rated it higher. The writings is excellent and the story is poignant, but I still felt detached from all the characters. I would recommend it though and might even re-read it.

[Nan]

I just finished reading this book, and I'm still trying to figure out what I think/feel about it. For a very emotionally charged plotline, the story is narrated, in many places, in a very matter-of-fact way. I like the changing of perspectives, and the ending is full of grace.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very subtle book about the relationship between an adult gay Chinese American who reunites with his estranged Chinese father in mid-life. More later . . .

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with a sparse use of words that is stunning; better than almost any book I've ever read on the compelling draw of secrecy between family.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good, poignant,intelligent,sad about father and son. Insight to Chinese culture.

[Spazfungus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written story, you can feel the hurt, anger and awkwardness between father and son. Unfortunately an unsatisfying ending

[Charlie]

Didn't end well.

[Colleen]

Unclaimed cargo.