The Expatriates Audiobook By Janice Y. K. Lee cover art

The Expatriates

A Novel

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Expatriates

By: Janice Y. K. Lee
Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

Janice Y. K. Lee’s New York Times best-selling debut, The Piano Teacher, was called “immensely satisfying” by People, “intensely readable” by O, The Oprah Magazine, and “a rare and exquisite story” by Elizabeth Gilbert. Now, in her long-awaited new novel, Lee explores with devastating poignancy the emotions, identities, and relationships of three very different American women living in the same small expat community in Hong Kong.

Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. As each woman struggles with her own demons, their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all. Atmospheric, moving, and utterly compelling, The Expatriates confirms Lee as an exceptional talent and one of our keenest observers of women’s inner lives.

©2016 Janice Y. K. Lee (P)2016 Penguin Audio
Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction United States Women's Fiction World Literature China Heartfelt Tearjerking Thought-Provoking
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

"Raise a glass: The first great book-club novel of 2016 has arrived.” (USA Today, 4/4 stars)

“A female, funny Henry James in Asia, Janice Y. K. Lee is vividly good on the subject of Americans abroad.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Sex and the City meets Lost in Translation.” (The Skimm)

All stars
Most relevant  
I loved this book! I will probably end up listening to it multiple times which I never do. The beginning seemed a bit strange to me but then everything fell into place. The story was moving and the narrator was ideal. I enjoyed every aspect of this book!

Amazing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great Listen

Perfect performance, I enjoyed it very much! A world I knew nothing about. Would have given more stars if some of the characters had a slightly more realistic journey.

Surprised this wasn't rated higher!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What an Amazing book! Loved Every minute of it. The beautiful and raw descriptions of forgiveness and motherhood left me breathless. This book removed every fiver inside of my soul.

Raw and Beautiful writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Expatriates to be better than the print version?

I really enjoyed the reader, and I thought she really added appropriate humor, sorrow and emotion to this book.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Mercy. Growing up is never easy, but she did a good job trying.

Which scene was your favorite?

I really enjoyed the ending.

If you could take any character from The Expatriates out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Margaret. I would want to be a cheerleader for her grief.

Any additional comments?

Spoiler Alert. I really thought that the boy that Hillary was adopting would turn out to be Margarets child. I really hoped that would happen. Really enjoyed the book.

6 degrees of Separation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A pretty good book about the many in and outs of Hong Kong expat existence. It was nice to revisit HK through the novel. The reader was very hard to listen to - as though she patronised the whole book.

Good book for Hong Kong expats. Did not like reader.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I listened to the book and the reader had a very sing song voice. Bit was extremely annoying!

Audible reader is terrible

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a story that draws you in almost immediately and then holds you right through to the end. While the characters are all pretty unlikeable, you know you are seeing them at their worst and that they are stuck in circumstances that would make anybody crazy, so you end up hanging on every word to find out how this is all going to pan out.

I’m surprised that some reviewers say it isn’t really about being an expat. As an expat myself, I think the book is very much about that. That was part of the point of the book—that life is life no matter where you live, but there are some very special aspects added to life when you live so far from home. It’s startling to me how very similar my experience has been, even though I’m not the wealthy kind.

The characters are relatable, their choices understandable -though we cringe while they make them. In the end, we see them making realistic adaptations with new maturity and wisdom. It’s a story of hope and that of understanding that life is a continual process rather than a continuous line.

Loved it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Good characters and an interesting look at the ex-pat community in Asia. Well worth the credit.

A Sweet Simple Heart-warming Listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This is a hard one to review because I picked this book because of the tv show, having watched 3 episodes and wanting to know more about the story sooner rather than having to wait for one episode per week. The tv show hints at a what, where, who did what and finding G. This book is not a that. It’s the story of 3 women whose lives are upended due to a major traumatic experience and the endurance of the human spirit in surviving, healing and the power of friendship. Margaret in losing her child. Hilary in the end of her marriage. Mercy in being the one who was with G when he disappeared. It’s a love story to women and it’s beautifully written. My genre in fiction is usually thriller, so this is not what I was thinking it was. There is no answer or anything regarding G apart from the fact he was lost. It’s not that kinda story. So for me personally, it wasn’t something I liked, but I think if you understand that this is a journey about healing, moving forward and the power of friendship and that appeals to you, you’ll love it. It’s a beautiful story.

Not like tv show

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The author wrote such an interesting story from three perspectives. Unresolved issues, forgiveness and self-forgiveness explored. Impressive.

Humanity in tragedy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews