The Family Chao

Lan Samantha Chang

From Shelf: Barack Obama's Summer Reading List (Overheard on Twitter)

For years, the residents of Lake Haven, Wisconsin ignored the whispered troubles about the Chao family, if only to keep eating at the best restaurant in town.

For years, the residents of Lake Haven, Wisconsin ignored the whispered troubles about the Chao family, if only to keep eating at the best restaurant in town. But when tyrannical patriarch 'Big' Leo Chao is found frozen to death in the family's meat freezer, scandalous events force the community to turn its attention to the three Chao sons. Dagou - presupposed heir to the business. Ming - succesful banker, determined to sever ties with Haven's Asian community once and for all. James - naive college student, who is only just learning of his family's past. As the family's dog mysteriously disappears, and Dagou 'Dog Eater' Chao is held on trial for his father's murder, the Chaos' turbulent history spills into the public eye, and a small town looks on in disbelief. . .