User:Abbyknud/sandbox

Characters
The Richardson Family

·       Elena Richardson - A third-generation resident of Shaker Heights who writes for the local paper and lives a wealthy lifestyle with her husband and four children.

·       Bill Richardson - A prominent lawyer who is married to Elena Richardson.

·       Alexandra "Lexie" Richardson - The oldest Richardson child. She is a senior in high school and plans on attending Yale.

·       Bill "Trip" Richardson III: The second Richardson child. He is a junior in high school who is popular and plays sports.

·       Michael "Moody" Richardson: The third Richardson child. He is sophomore in high school and befriends Pearl Warren.

·       Isabelle "Izzy" Richardson: The youngest Richardson child. She is a freshman in high school and rejects the Richardson’s' wealthy lifestyle.

The Warren Family

·       Mia Warren: A photographer who she specializes in unique prints. She has lived a transient lifestyle for her daughter Pearl's entire life. She rents her home in Shaker Heights from Elena Richardson and works as her housekeeper. She also works at a Chinese restaurant.

·       Pearl Warren: Mia's daughter who is a sophomore in high school. She does not know who her father is.

Others

·       Linda McCullough: A childhood friend of Elena's who adopted an abandoned baby after years of fertility struggles.

·       Mark McCullough: Linda's husband.

·       Mirabelle McCullough/May Ling Chow: The infant who was abandoned by Bebe Chow and adopted by Linda and Mark McCullough.

·       Bebe Chow: Mia's co-workerat the Chinese restaurant. She wants her abandoned baby back from the McCullough’s.

·       Brian: Lexi Richardson’s boyfriend who is African American.

Inspiration
Ng is from Shaker Heights, Ohio, where the book is set. She said that, after being away from Shaker Heights for ten years, she "appreciated more all the ways Shaker Heights is unusual, and [she] wanted to try and write a story that would explore some of those facets of the community."

She chose to include the transracial adoption in the novel because it's an issue that touches on class, race, and motherhood simultaneously. In an interview for BLARB, she said, "Many adoptions today are transracial, which raises really complicated questions about how we handle and talk about race—and racial bias—in America."

Reception
In a review for the San Francisco Chronicle, Alexis Burling called it "… a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart…"