A Good Fall

Under America’s northern campuses and city apartments, Ha Jin’s A Good Fall follows Chinese immigrants who tiptoe between two worlds: a lonely composer in Boston finds unexpected solace in his girlfriend’s mischievous parakeet, whose free-flight antics echo the composer’s own quest for creative freedom; in a sunlit suburban kitchen, young siblings decide to Anglicize their names—“Michael” and “Jenny”—only to discover the choice cuts deep into their grandparents’ memories of ancestral China; and on a wind-whipped Maryland ferry, a Chinese English professor and his former student conspire in a tense defection plot, each step across the deck carrying the weight of Immigration Rights and Cultural Understanding. Stark, deeply moving, and infused with Ha Jin’s signature wit, these stories weave the intimate rhythms of family dinners and midnight manuscript revisions into a vibrant tapestry of loyalty, longing, and the bittersweet thrill of starting anew. Will these characters find harmony between heritage and hope, or will the fall of old certainties leave them untethered in a new land? Tap the Save to List button to bookmark this title, or tap the External Link button to view purchase and rental options.