The Language of Solitude, JanPhilipp Sendker
The Language of Solitude, JanPhilipp Sendker
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The Language of Solitude
A Novel

Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker, Christine Lo

Narrator: George Newbern, Janet Song

Unabridged: 10 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/02/2017

Synopsis

Brooding expat and journalist Paul Leibovitz is beginning to imagine a new life for himself in Hong Kong, one in which the grief over a recent family tragedy doesn’t consume him and his love for Christine Wu brings him great joy. When Christine gets an unexpected and emotionally-charged letter from her estranged brother, Paul journeys with her to a remote village outside Shanghai, where a mysterious illness is affecting the locals.Paul discovers a powerful chemical conglomerate is polluting a nearby lake, and Chinese officials are doing nothing to stop it. The victims demand justice, but taking legal action could prove even more dangerous than the strange disease itself. Government intimidation and political corruption threaten to suppress even the most passionate and audacious environmental activists. If Paul doesn’t walk away, he could pull the woman he loves back into a world she escaped from decades ago—putting their relationship and their lives at risk.Suspenseful and rife with the page-turning storytelling that defines Sendker’s remarkable work and harks back to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, The Language of Solitude offers a peerless look into contemporary China.

About Jan-Philipp Sendker

Jan-Philipp Sendker is an internationally bestselling author born in Hamburg in 1960. He was the American correspondent for Stern from 1990 to 1995, and its Asian correspondent from 1995 to 1999. In 2000 he published Cracks in the Wall, a nonfiction book about China. His first novel, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, is an international bestseller, and the sequel, A Well-Tempered Heart, appeared in 2013. He lives in Berlin with his family.

About Christine Lo

Christine Lo (previously known as Christine Slenczka) worked for several years as an editor for various British publishers before she began working as a translator of German literature into English in 2002. Her published translation work includes, among others, Eagles and Angels by Juli Zeh and An Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky.

About George Newbern

George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.

About Janet Song

Janet Song is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards and was named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of 2008. Recent audiobooks include Euna Lee’s The World is Bigger Now and Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls. She lives and works in Southern California as an actor on stage and screen.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Susanne

Jan-Philipp Sendker has a way with words. His prose is simply beautiful. Melodic even. He writes about characters whose lives you want to care deeply about. And it is because of this that I truly wanted to love this story. And yet, it left me wanting. I wanted more from Jan-Philipp Sendker. Because......more

Goodreads review by Care

The Language of Solitude is the story of Paul Leibovitz who travels to a village outside Shanghai with his partner Christine when she receives a letter from her long-assumed-dead brother. There, he uncovers a terrible incident involving the villagers' health and the most powerful chemical company in......more

Goodreads review by Heidi

Not as eloquent as some of his earlier books, and a bit harder to get into the story. Still it was a wonderful story and I am glad that I forged ahead. The scenes in China, and especially Shanghai were wonderful, and ever so accurate. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, but possibly because I didn’t wan......more

Goodreads review by J.S.

3.5 A somewhat familiar tale: foreigner with perfect Chinese-language skills and a fixation on Asian women. Throw in a theme of present day corruption as China strives to put a wide-screen TV in every apartment and proliferating cars obliterate the landscape. Well, what's left of the landscape after......more

Goodreads review by Lina

3—......more

Quotes

“This new novel gives readers another vivid, fascinating, and haunting look at today’s China. Highly recommended.” Library Journal (starred review)

“Thoughtful, politically astute…This novel offers a rich portrait of compromise and courage under a repressive state.” Publishers Weekly

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