Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream: A Novel($66.08Value)

Description

This is a magical novel of a Chinese immigrant's coming to terms with himself, his marriage, and America--and the unlikely moral force that guides his life. Chai is middle-aged, a disillusioned formed Red Guard who escaped China for Hong Kong and then America, where he works in New York as a banker. He and his wife, Ding, are the parents of an infant and enjoy a contented marriage; he develops a fond obsession with President Calvin Coolidge, the taciturn New Englander whose wry wit and wisdom delights Chai. One day, a chance discovery leads him astray: He learns that a lover from his youth is now in Boston, living with her husband and their son. The son is Chai's very image, and the staid banker is inflamed by the implications of the resemblance. Confused by his emotions, he becomes determined to revive the affair. How Ding schemes to win back her wayward husband--and teach him the necessary truths about love--forms the plot and beguiling conclusion to John Derbyshire's tale. "Takes the breath away...An absolute delight, a small but rich book in which every note is struck exactly right, a book one reads mesmerized."--Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World "Extraordinary...Combines originality, humor, satire, and warmth...Derbyshire is a fresh talent well worth watching."-- Rocky Mountain News "A note worthy debut...distinctive and promising...Possesses a quirky brio that causes it to linger in the reader's mind."--John Burnham Schwartz, The New York Times Book Review John Derbyshire was born in England, and educated at London University. He has traveled widely in East Asia, and has worked as a teacher, journalist, and computer programmer. He now lives in Huntington, New York.