We may receive an affiliate commission from anything you buy from this article.In "The Satisfaction Café," a gently witty new novel from Kathy Wang ("Family Trust"), a woman from Taiwan moves to California, where she finds a new life as a wealthy man's fourth wife and mother to his children.But her search for connections leads her to create a safe space for people to find what they really want: to be heard. Read an excerpt below. "The Satisfaction Café" by Kathy Wang $26 at Amazon Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now.
Try Audible for free Joan Liang's life in America began in Palo Alto, where she lived in the attic of a two-story home on Azalea Street.Joan did chores for the widow who owned the house in exchange for reduced rent; she never could have afforded such a nice neighborhood otherwise.
She lived in that attic until she was married, and she was married for only six weeks before she stabbed her husband.Joan was twenty-five and had lived in the United States for two years.
The year was 1977.Joan had not thought she would stab her husband.It had been an accident (sort of).
Afterward she was disappointed that marriage had not turned out as she'd imagined.She had thought it would be wonderful.
It had been, actually.Until it wasn't.Though later, Joan would wonder why she'd ever thought marriage would be so special.
As a child in Taiwan, most of the married women Joan encountered were melancholy, if not outright miserable; throughout her childhood, Joan's own mother had on occasion risen from the kitchen table without warning to cry with showy force into her hands."You've ruined everything!" Mei would shriek if any of the children came near, and so they soon learned to keep away, which only worsened Mei's despondency.At least every other Saturday, Joan's father, Wen-Bao, spent the night across town in Shilin, where he kept a two-bedroom apartment ...