Shelley has been sent from China to his relatives in San Francisco, hoping for a better life for him with his supposedly rich relatives. Upon arrival, he discovers that his relatives are far from rich, and have suffered a loss that has caused a rift in the family. With unfailing optimism, and a little naïveté, he figures a way to support himself, and at the same time provide support for his hurting family members.

The uniqueness of this particular book was the voice of Shelley, so naive and yet so wise. Part of his trusting nature owes to his belief in ‘The Chinese Groove,’ a mind-set that requires members of a family to look out for each other. The author did a wonderful job portraying Shelley and his extended family members, each personality unique and true. Great writing. ( )

3.5 stars. Liked the characters. Loved the way people stepped in to care for each other without being family. Only friends. Bright and smart. ( )

This was a fun little story. Shelley is a young man who comes to San Francisco from China with dreams of success. Everything goes rather poorly from the start. He had been told his uncle, who will be hosting him, owns a big fabulous department store; but the truth is the family used to own a little corner grocery, but no longer. Furthermore, his uncle and aunt stick him in a tiny spare room and kick him out after two weeks. Hunger and homelessness threaten. But Shelley is positively buoyant through it all. He makes himself useful to his uncle's elderly father and endears himself to the little boy of a family friend. He endures heartbreak and trickery. And then it's all tied up in a nice bundle. ( )

Kathryn Ma gives us a complex and well-hewn main character in her new novel, The Chinese Groove which explores the classic theme of the American Dream. Xue Li — renamed Shelley by his British English teacher — lives a depressing life in China taking care of his alcoholic father who never recovered after the death of Shelley’s mother. At 18, he heads for America with dreams of a rich and rewarding future awaiting him with his “wealthy” uncle, but finds the reality a drastic departure from what he expected. The Chinese Groove manages to be both funny and emotional as Ma manages the line between satire and silliness pretty well, and really delves into what it means to be a family. ( )

Kathryn Ma's The Chinese Groove is a refreshing read that explores in ways both serious and humorous the experiences of "Shelly" Zhang (yes, nicknamed after the poet), a Chinese student coming to the U.S. to study English. Shelly comes to the U.S. with inflated expectations, sure the distant relatives he'll be staying with at first will be so charmed that they'll invite him to live with them permanently. The family used to own a small bodega; Shelly convinces himself it still exists, is the biggest store in San Francisco, and that he'll land a well-paid, lifetime job there. And he's going to reunite with an American girl he was briefly involved with when she stayed with her aunt—Shelly's English teacher—in China.

One knows from the start that Shelly's dreams are unreasonable. What makes the book an enjoyable read is the way Shelly is able to overcome barriers and to reshape challenges into opportunities. Without giving spoilers, I can say that in the process he learns a great deal about what family is and isn't, becomes friends with people he never would have met in China, and finds a path for himself.

If you're looking for a bit of generous, light-hearted reading, The Chinese Groove should prove just the ticket.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. ( )