An Echo in the City | Author Interview | Book Tour

I’m so excited to be a part of the book tour for An Echo in the City that is hosted by TBR and Beyond Tours. I was really excited to also be able to interview the author for this book!

INTERVIEW

How would you describe An Echo in the City in one sentence?

An Echo in the City is a story set during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, about diaspora, belonging, and the meaning of home. 

Can you introduce us to the main character(s) of An Echo in the City?

Kai is an artist and police officer in training from mainland China, and Phoenix is a student protester and photographer who grew up between Hong Kong and America. The two are opposites in many ways–Kai is indecisive, Phoenix is prone to action; Kai is reserved, Phoenix is outspoken–and yet, despite their many differences, the two find themselves drawn to each other as their paths cross and collide during the Hong Kong protests. 

Do you know from the beginning how your books will end or do you let your characters decide their journey?

This usually differs book by book for me. In the case of An Echo in the City, I knew the ending as soon as I came up with the characters, and their beliefs, values, and backgrounds. So the ending outcome was clear to me from the beginning, but how the ending actually takes place and comes about on a scene level didn’t crystallize for me until the very end, when I knew my characters deeply and knew exactly how they would act and react.

Do you have a favorite scene, moment, or quote from the book?

I do have a favorite scene! I can’t say exactly what it is because it involves spoilers, but here’s a hint: it’s where the title of the book appears. 😊

What is something readers will find in An Echo in the City that they may not realize based on the synopsis?

Good question! I’ll be curious to hear what readers say, but before then, I think readers may guess from the synopsis that the book has a forbidden romance love story, but more than just being “forbidden”, the love story between Phoenix and Kai is also about two people coming together from extremely different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. I’ve always been intrigued by the question: Can two people from entirely different worldviews and backgrounds ever fully know each other? And if they choose to try, how can they begin to understand one another?  

What’s something you hope readers will take away from An Echo in the City?

I hope through reading Phoenix and Kai’s story, readers can come away believing in the power and potential of community, and from a young adult perspective, the agency of youth. An Echo in the City asks a lot of questions of Phoenix and Kai, and in a similar manner, I hope readers can begin to ask themselves those same questions: regardless of external forces, where do I want to call home? What does it mean to call a place “home”, and what responsibility does that decision come with? How can I assume agency and intentionality in the choices that dictate my identity–and how I see myself in this ever-changing world? 

What are three books you would recommend if someone enjoyed An Echo in the City?

So many good books to recommend, but I’ll settle for three. THE IMPOSSIBLE CITY by Karen Cheung, which is an adult memoir about life in Hong Kong, amongst other things. A painfully honest read, beautifully written and truly thought-provoking. WHEN WE WERE INFINITE by Kelly Loy Gilbert, for its flawed yet loving mother-daughter relationship, which made me bawl my eyes out. And THIS PLACE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL by XiXi Tian, which is about hate crimes and racism, but also about sisterhood and identity, and how one’s identity changes over time, all rendered in gorgeous prose.  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Synopsis:

Two star-crossed teenagers fall in love during the 2019 Hong Kong protests in this searing contemporary debut about coming of age in a time of change.

Sixteen-year-old Phoenix knows her parents have invested thousands of dollars to help her leave Hong Kong and get an elite Ivy League education. They think America means big status, big dreams, and big bank accounts. But Phoenix doesn’t want big; she just wants home. The trouble is, she doesn’t know where that is… until the Hong Kong protest movement unfolds, and she learns the city she’s come to love is in danger of disappearing.
 
Seventeen-year-old Kai sees himself as an artist, not a filial son, and certainly not a cop. But when his mother dies, he’s forced to leave Shanghai to reunite with his estranged father, a respected police officer, who’s already enrolled him in the Hong Kong police academy. Kai wants to hate his job, but instead, he finds himself craving his father’s approval. And when he accidentally swaps phones with Phoenix and discovers she’s part of a protest network, he finds a way to earn it: by infiltrating the group and reporting their plans back to the police. 
 
As Kai and Phoenix join the struggle for the future of Hong Kong, a spark forms between them, pulling them together even as their two worlds try to force them apart. But when their relationship is built on secrets and deception, will they still love the person left behind when the lies fall away?

Content Warning: grief over death of a parent, police brutality, political unrest

ABOUT THE AUTHOR