“An intricate meditation on what is in our control and what is fate—and on whether children must bear the costs of their parents’ mistakes.” —Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires EverywhereAt the turn of the nineteenth century, Frank Leong, a wealthy shipping industrialist, moves his family from China to the island of Oahu. But something ancient follows the Leongs to Hawaii, haunting them. The parable of the red string of fate, the cord that binds one intended beloved to her perfect match, also punishes for mistakes in love, passing a destructive knot down the family line.
When Frank Leong is murdered, his family is thrown into a downward spiral. Left to rebuild, the surviving members of the Leong family try their hand at a new, ordinary life, vowing to bury their gilded past. Still, the island continues to whisper—fragmented pieces of truth, until a letter arrives two decades later, carrying a confession that shatters the family even further.
Now the Leongs’ survival rests with young Theresa, Frank Leong’s only grandchild, eighteen and pregnant, the heir apparent to her ancestors’ punishing knots.
Told through the eyes of the Leong’s daughters and wives, Diamond Head is a breathtakingly powerful tale of tragic love, shocking lies, poignant compromise, aching loss, heroic acts of sacrifice and, miraculous hope.
“A jewel of a saga.” —Rebecca Wells, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood“Wong’s pellucid prose style keeps the pages turning.” —Kirkus ReviewsEvocatively captures the tightly controlled worlds of privilege and power.” —Booklist“A sweeping family saga in the tradition of Amy Tan.” —Publishers Weekly