The Afterlife of Emerson Tang: A Novel

by Paula Champa

A beloved car becomes a piece of us—a way back into our histories or forward into our destinies. For Emerson Tang, the only son of a prominent New England family, that car is a 1954 Beacon. A collector—of art and experience—Emerson keeps his prized possession safely stored away. But when his health begins to fail, his archivist and caretaker is approached by a secretive French painter determined to buy the Beacon at any cost. They discover that the Beacon has been compromised and that its importance reaches far beyond Emerson’s own history.

Soon they run into another who shares their the heir to the ruined Beacon Motor Company, who is determined to restore his grandfather’s legacy. These four become unlikely adventurers, united in their aim to reunite the Beacon’s original body and engine, pitted against one another in their quest to claim it. Each new clue takes one closer to triumph, but also takes these characters, each grieving a deep loss, toward finding missing pieces of their own lives.

A fast-paced ride through the twentieth century—to modernism, fascism, and industrialism, to Manhattan, a German zeppelin, a famed concours in Pebble Beach, and a road race in Italy— The Afterlife of Emerson Tang takes us deep into our complicated automotive romance. A novel of strangers connected across time, through a car that is so much more than a car, it asks us what should be preserved, what memories to trust, and whether or not some of the legacies we hold most dear—including that grand contraption, the automobile—can be made new again.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

324 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Paula Champa writes on design and the arts and has contributed to magazines including Surface, Intersection, American Artist, Print, and I.D. Over the past decade, she has reported on car culture and the emergence of sustainable transportation. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she was educated at Boston College and the University of Pennsylvania, and holds a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her short fiction has appeared in several literary journals and in the anthology The Way We Work. The Afterlife of Emerson Tang is her first novel.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

So bad I couldn't finish it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Afterlife of Emerson Tang is an ambitious novel that, on the surface, is about the search for a car. Emerson Tang is dying. The son of a wealthy man and a Chinese woman rescued from Mao, Emerson never quite losing his mother at a young age. Now that he is dying, he is obsessed with reuniting the body of a vintage car with it's original engine. We don't know why he wants this car so desperately until almost the end of the book. At the same time, an French artist named Helene seems to want the car just as much. The book is narrated by Beth, a woman who feels she has no plot, who started her job as Emerson's archivist but turns into his most trusted caretaker and friend. It is through Beth that, in the end, all is set right.
This book was beautifully written, has intricate and interesting story lines, well-developed characters, and overall is very good. I can't give it five stars, though because, in my opinion, some of the incidental details, such as the fact that Helene associated with Fascists in her youth, or the depth in which they talk about Helene's Speed Art, seem completely unnecessary (and uninteresting) to me.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure about this book at first. It was one of those that I read a chapter or two and put down for a while. I decided to pick it back up recently and finish it so I could write a review since I received it as part of the First Reads program. I ended up really enjoying the book and had trouble putting it down once I got started. I would encourage anyone to give this book a shot, even if you have trouble getting into it at first.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing is very atmospheric and I was excited to read it but the story didn't hold up very well for me. An elderly man owns a classic car, a Beacon 54 which he has kept in mint condition for years. There are other people who desire the car but the engine turns out to be missing. A search for the engine ensues. I was so disinterested I'm not sure how the story ended, just that it did. Not a favorite.

[Mary Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well written, the main character's life and her association with the other 3, is an interesting premise, and a thought provoking one.

[Leann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really is a 3.5 only because there were some very curious concepts which still have me thinking. A couple of spots at the end got a little out there for me but overall worth the read!

[Lisa Fierro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Characters were not developed as much as I would have liked and not sure why so many tragic ends. Did enjoy reading and did like what I did read about characters.

[Chris Fortunato · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written novel.

[Susan]

Weird.