Of Wind and Dust: A Novel

A sweeping, multigenerational novel about three women married to the same man at the same time, stretching from rural China to an emerging, mid-nineteenth century Seattle. An unforgettable story of striving, sacrifice, love, and loyalty inspired by the author’s own family history.Three women--one born married, one born enslaved, one born free—brought together by one man. Betrothed at birth, Yook Lan enters the Chun House as a teenager to become the household's Great Wife--only to be left behind by a husband who must journey across the world to ensure the survival of his family. Forced to sleep on the floor of a storeroom, gambled away, and ransomed into the Chun household, Guai Fong finds herself cared for but isolated, as neither servant nor daughter. Mary has only ever known the silver waters and green trees of Puget Sound. But her life is forever changed when she falls in love with a stranger who has come to America to make his fortune, but who must return to China to secure his legacy. The abandoned first wife, the ransomed slave, and the displaced young woman become inextricably linked, their happiness and purpose connected to one man, one household. Through decades, across oceans, and painting a vivid portrait of three women as they struggle against history’s constraints, Of Wind and Dust is an unforgettable, intricately crafted debut about loss, desire, and belonging. Read more