Book Review: The Chinese Groove

Eighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father’s grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Deng’s tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to San Francisco to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the “Chinese groove,” a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders.

Upon arrival, Shelley is dismayed to find that his “rich uncle” is in fact his unemployed second cousin once removed and that the grand guest room he’d envisioned is but a scratchy sofa. The indefinite stay he’d planned for? That has a firm two-week expiration date. Even worse, the loving family he hoped would embrace him is in shambles, shattered by a senseless tragedy that has cleaved the family in two. They want nothing to do with this youthful bounder who’s barged into their lives. Ever the optimist, Shelley concocts a plan to resuscitate his American dream by insinuating himself into the family. And, who knows, maybe he’ll even manage to bring them back together in the process.

The Chinese Groove, the second novel from Kathryn Ma, will be available on January 24, 2023. Counterpoint Press provided an early galley for review.

As a librarian, I am always on the lookout for novels with diverse characters and from diverse authors. This one checks both of those boxes. This book's description sounded like an interesting take on an immigrant story. I found, however, the story a bit difficult for me to get into; it took a couple of chapters and Shelley's eventual arrival in America for the story to catch my attention.

I learned a lot from Ma as she provided experiences and perspectives that are far removed from my own. She also makes an interesting commentary on American image-centric behaviors (and how quickly outsiders can find themselves grasping onto them). I recognized some of those very same behaviors from poeple I knew growing up.

I did like that the characters were varied and flawed, even the protagonist. Since the book covers a broad range of time, a few plot elements tend to go from major focus to background noise rather quickly. While that is very reflective of life in general, it sometimes can leave parts of a fictional story as unsatisfying or interpretted as just filler to the main plot.