American Santa

by Vanessa Hua, Cindy Kay (Narrator)

Rivals since childhood, Fang and Lian both leave their village in China in search of fortune and adventure. After reuniting in a factory city, when Fang’s grandmother falls ill, they hatch a plan to win the sympathies of an American online. When he replies, Lian secretly masquerades as Fang in a gripping story of friendship, love, and betrayal.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook

2 pages, Audible Audio

First published June 17, 2021

About the author

Vanessa Hua is the author of the national bestsellers A River of Stars and Forbidden City, as well the Arts Literature Fellow, she has also received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, a California Arts Council Fellowship, and a Steinbeck Fellowship in Creative Writing, as well as honors from the de Groot Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Asian American Journalists Association, among others. She was a finalist for the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, and the New American Voices Award. Previously, she was an award-winning columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. She has filed stories from China, Burma, South Korea, Ecuador, and Panama, and her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. She teaches at the Warren Wilson MFA Program and elsewhere. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Her novel, COYOTELAND, and nonfiction narrative, UPROOTED, are forthcoming.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t love, but didn’t hate. I’m always left wanting more from short stories. I felt like this one ended super abruptly.

[Amber Gentile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hooked from the beginning, but was left with so many questions when it ended much too soon.

[Lori C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story that is very engaging and well written. Depth of characters but ends VERY abruptly.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Whatcha Reading Heather? · Rating 2 out of 5]

So normally I'm not against a slow-burn pace for books, but I feel like this was a bit too slow for the story it was trying to do. I feel like by the time I got super invested in the story it was over. This absolutely had the potential to be a decent full-length book and I'm hoping for an expanded story or sequel in the future.

[Sheila Dailie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick listen, and though it was good, it might have been too short a time to feel invested in any one of the characters. Almost before the betrayal of friendship occurred, the story was wrapping up.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A creative story about the role an American boy's donation plays a role in the lead's life. The two female leads have a "difficult" friendship. It built slowly and ended too abruptly. I was not satisfied with the ending, but it was a short read.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of Cyrano de Bergerac – or what would be classified as catfishing now – and I wanted more. Even though this isn't my favorite genre, I wanted this to continue; I want to know what happened to both young women.

[Vik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was quite enjoying this short little story, tensely waiting for the resolution. But there was none. It just cut off, making me disapointed and a bit pissed

[Century · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been 5 stars but the ending is upsetting. Feels like wasted time

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was nice and I was hopeful. But it just seemed to end mid story.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75
Eh...holes in the story and some catfishing that I feel could have been worked out. Not my favorite.

[Janis · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

[Felicia B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

"gripping story of friendship, love, and betrayal" the writer of this synopsis has a very loose definition of all those words.

[Vel Veeter]

A short story in which two Chinese women who recall an act of charity and goodwill from their childhood work to seek aid and money to care for one of the women's grandmother in a time of need. The two women had a kind of rivalry, but when they were young an American man working for a charitable organization brought gifts and money to their small home. This American Santa left a huge impression on them, and when they are in need again, they try to find him online (now decades later) to see if he might help again. The bulk of the story involves online interactions, something I generally enjoy when done well, and it's done well here. The writing is interesting and delicate and painful at times, and there's a surprising amount of character depth, given the relatively short length here.