Introduction

From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife—a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family—even if it’s built on a paper foundation?

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Excerpt

"I am satisfied the present Chinese labor invasion (it is not in any proper sense immigration—women and children do not come) is pernicious and should be discouraged. Our experience in dealing with the weaker races—the negroes and Indians, for example—is not encouraging."—U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes

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Discussion Questions

1. What frustrated, surprised, moved, or upset you about Paper Wife?
2. What did you like most about this book? Least?
3. Why did Mei Ling go along with her parents’ plans for her to marry Kai Li and move to California?
4. Trust is an ongoing theme in the novel. Were you surprised, or not, by any of the various deceptions?
5. Do you think Kai Li and Mei Ling can be forgiven for lying to each other? For lying to the immigration officers?
6. The doctor on Angel Island asks Mei Ling if she is who she says she is. Do you think he could tell if she had ever been pregnant, or was he just venturing a guess to take advantage of the situation? Were you surprised when he sent her extra food?
7. Do you or your family have one or more immigration or migration stories? If so, what do you know about them? How do they compare to Mei Ling’s story?
8. Did you learn anything new about US history from Paper Wife?
9. Which character did you identify with the most and why?
10. Which character do you dislike the most and why?
11. Do you believe he was lying when Mr. Young told Mei Ling that her work was no longer valuable to him?
12. Ms. Ibrahim left unanswered questions about Siew’s and Kai Li’s pasts. Was that frustrating to you? Believable?
13. Do you believe the ghost was something internal to Mei Ling or an external representation of her internal state?
14. How do you think Mei Ling’s childhood religion shaped her thinking? Do you see similarities or differences with how your beliefs shape you?
15. Were there any plot points that were left unresolved or not resolved to your satisfaction?
16. What ideas do you think Laila Ibrahim wanted to get across in this novel? Did she succeed?
17. What did you think of the ending? Could you imagine making the same choice as Mei Ling?

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