I decided to read this book because I watched the trailer for the series, Expats, on Amazon Prime. When I saw that the show was based on a book, I wanted to read the book first before I watched the show. 

I saw a description that described this story as Sex and the City meets Lost in Translation. I could definitely get the Lost in Translation similarities, but I didn’t think it was like Sex and the City at all. There is language but no spice; it is a clean book. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job. 

This is not a happy story. Honestly, I thought it was rather depressing, dull, and boring. There is barely a plot, but it had just enough to keep me interested. This is definitely more character-driven as we follow three American women who now live in Hong Kong. I thought it would lean more toward a mystery/thriller since a child goes missing, but it didn’t. This would be considered a drama or contemporary fiction. Overall, this story is about womanhood and motherhood. 

In this book, we follow Margaret, Hilary, and Mercy. Margaret is a mother who has lost one of her children. She grieves for her son and must try to move on without him. We see her struggle with this new reality. Hilary has marital problems. Her husband cheats on her, and both are unhappy in the marriage. She suffers from infertility issues and wants to adopt a boy she meets. More than anything, she wants a family, but is uncertain about her future. Mercy is the youngest and is still figuring out life and who she is. She’s aimless and acts irresponsibly. She hasn’t fully grown up yet. She has a unique personality, which some people have called strange. She ends up having an affair with a married man and getting pregnant by him. Soon, all of their lives interconnect in this foreign city.  

These are interesting and complex characters, but they all seem unhappy, depressed, and whiny at times. Their lives are privileged, especially Margaret and Hilary, who have rich husbands and careers that took them to Hong Kong in the first place. They have help from servants and are spoiled. The other women in this expat community are also spoiled, as well as critical, judgmental, competitive, and bored. They all live in a sheltered bubble where they are trying to figure out their lives in a foreign country, which is their main connection. If some of the details about this lifestyle are true, then I learned a lot about life as an expat and communities of expats in a foreign country. That part was interesting. 

But in general, I’m not sure of the point of this story. It was well-written with detailed, immersive, and descriptive writing; however, for the majority of it, I was just bored. I wasn’t fully invested in any of the women’s lives. I couldn’t relate to or connect with any of them. I really didn’t like Hilary’s character and felt like she could’ve just been omitted from the whole story. After the child went missing, I kept waiting for something interesting or exciting to happen, but it didn’t. Everything just felt bland and tedious. I even sped up the audiobook to get through it. 

Then, I watched the Amazon Prime show. It was done well, but again, it was boring. The first two episodes were entertaining, but then the rest of the series was dull and flat. Again, I don’t know why this was created. I didn’t see the point of this story. 

Overall, the depiction of these women and mothers was interesting and beautifully told, but sadly, it was hard for me to connect to any of them, and the story as a whole barely kept my attention. For most of the book and the series, I was just bored. Personally, I would not recommend it, but if it sounds interesting to you, then maybe give it a try. I would try this author again if another one of her stories sounds interesting to me.