The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang

His crew is every heist archetype one can imagine-or at least, the closest he can get. But when a mysterious Chinese benefactor reaches out with an impossible-and illegal-job offer, Will finds himself something else as well: the leader of a heist to steal back five priceless Chinese sculptures, looted from Beijing centuries ago. A senior at Harvard, Will fits comfortably in his curated roles: a perfect student, an art history major and sometimes artist, the eldest son who has always been his parents' American Dream. Across the Western world, museums display the spoils of war, of conquest, of colonialism: priceless pieces of art looted from other countries, kept even now.

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.Ī lush, lyrical heist novel inspired by the true story of Chinese art vanishing from Western museums about diaspora, the colonization of art, and the complexity of the Chinese American identity History is told by the conquerors. 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. 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.

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. But when the brothers reunite in Haven, the Chao family's secrets and simmering resentments erupt at last. 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. 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.

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang