The Family Chao

The Family Chao

by Lan Samantha Chang

Narrated by Brian Nishii

Unabridged — 10 hours, 57 minutes

The Family Chao

The Family Chao

by Lan Samantha Chang

Narrated by Brian Nishii

Unabridged — 10 hours, 57 minutes

Audiobook (Digital)

$23.49
FREE With a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime
$0.00

Free with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription | Cancel Anytime

$24.99 Save 6% Current price is $23.49, Original price is $24.99. You Save 6%.
START FREE TRIAL

Already Subscribed? 

Sign in to Your BN.com Account


Listen on the free Barnes & Noble NOOK app


Listen to Lan Samantha Chang in conversation about The Family Chao on Poured Over: The B&N Podcast

Related collections and offers

FREE

with a B&N Audiobooks Subscription

Or Pay $23.49 $24.99

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A reimagining of The Brothers Karamazov, The Family Chao successfully combines a propulsive literary mystery, a generational family drama, and the American immigrant story into one can't-put-it-down novel.

The residents of Haven, Wisconsin, have dined on the Fine Chao restaurant's delicious Americanized Chinese food for thirty-five years, content to ignore any unsavory whispers about the family owners. Whether or not Big Leo Chao is
honest, or his wife, Winnie, is happy, their food tastes good and their three sons earned scholarships to respectable colleges. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family's secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last.
Before long, brash, charismatic, and tyrannical patriarch Leo is found dead-presumed murdered-and his sons find they've drawn the exacting gaze of the entire town. The ensuing trial brings to light potential motives for all three
brothers: Dagou, the restaurant's reckless head chef; Ming, financially successful but personally tortured; and the youngest, gentle but lost college student James. As the spotlight on the brothers tightens-and the family dog meets an
unexpected fate-Dagou, Ming, and James must reckon with the legacy of their father's outsized appetites and their own future survival.
Brimming with heartbreak, comedy, and suspense, The Family Chao offers a kaleidoscopic, highly entertaining portrait of a Chinese American family grappling with the dark undercurrents of a seemingly pleasant small town.

Editorial Reviews

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile

Narrator Brian Nishii showcases his versatility with a lively and entertaining performance of this contemporary retelling of THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. For 35 years, the Chao family has successfully run an Americanized Chinese restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin. Nonetheless, they are still viewed as outsiders and subjected to racism. Nishii nails his characterization of the abrasive family patriarch, Leo Chao, with a gruff timbre and a sneering tone. After Leo is found dead during the holidays, his three sons, each with a potential motive, are put on trial for murder. Nishii expressively provides distinct voices and personalities for the sons and expertly captures the story’s sardonic humor. Listeners will find this slow-burning novel enhanced by Nishii’s skilled narration. V.T.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Library Journal - Audio

06/01/2022

The brothers Chao are reunited at the family's Chinese restaurant in Haven, WI, for a Christmas party that evolves into a showdown, a murder, and a trial. Eldest brother, Dagou, demands that patriarch Leo make good on his promise to give him part ownership of the business; Leo refuses. When Leo, a charismatic but cruel man, dies under suspicious circumstances, Dagou is charged with his murder. In addition to three brothers, Leo, and long-suffering matriarch Winnie, there's a complex web of secondary and tertiary characters. Tokyo-born narrator Brian Nishii gives characters accents appropriate to their history: a waitress who knows little English speaks with a thick Mandarin accent, while Winnie, who has lived in Wisconsin for decades, has a subtler one. While his accents are confident, Nishii's characterizations are less consistent, but he shines as the youngest brother, James, a college freshman just beginning to understand himself independent of his family. In James's chapters, Nishii's narration is gentle and occasionally hesitant. Less successful is Nishii's portrayal of Leo, a man who's often described as charming but comes off only as boorish. VERDICT Chang's (All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost) latest is recommended where the print title is in demand.—Emily Calkins

FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile

Narrator Brian Nishii showcases his versatility with a lively and entertaining performance of this contemporary retelling of THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. For 35 years, the Chao family has successfully run an Americanized Chinese restaurant in Haven, Wisconsin. Nonetheless, they are still viewed as outsiders and subjected to racism. Nishii nails his characterization of the abrasive family patriarch, Leo Chao, with a gruff timbre and a sneering tone. After Leo is found dead during the holidays, his three sons, each with a potential motive, are put on trial for murder. Nishii expressively provides distinct voices and personalities for the sons and expertly captures the story’s sardonic humor. Listeners will find this slow-burning novel enhanced by Nishii’s skilled narration. V.T.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940176032406
Publisher: Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date: 02/01/2022
Edition description: Unabridged
Sales rank: 1,222,094
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews