I loved the characters in this book, and was frustrated at first by the prologue. "Why finish the book if I know how it's going to end"? I asked. Wrong! It has a surprise ending. The story is very intriguing, and the characters truly human. The setting seems familiar yet new: if you thought you knew Brooklyn and Manhattan, look again. It's a great coming-of-age story (I love coming-of-age stories!) about a young Chinese immigrant and her mother. I highly recommend this well-written book.