The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

Kelli Estes

Jul 2015 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

A USA TODAY BESTSELLER!

"A powerful debut that proves the threads that interweave our lives can withstand time and any tide, and bind our hearts forever."—Susanna Kearsley, New York Times bestselling author of Belleweather and The Vanished Days

A historical novel inspired by true events, Kelli Estes's brilliant and atmospheric debut is a poignant tale of two women determined to do the right thing, highlighting the power of our own stories.

The smallest items can hold centuries of secrets...

While exploring her aunt's island estate, Inara Erickson is captivated by an elaborately stitched piece of fabric hidden in the house. The truth behind the silk sleeve dated back to 1886, when Mei Lien, the lone survivor of a cruel purge of the Chinese in Seattle found refuge on Orcas Island and shared her tragic experience by embroidering it.

As Inara peels back layer upon layer of the centuries of secrets the sleeve holds, her life becomes interwoven with that of Mei Lein. Through the stories Mei Lein tells in silk, Inara uncovers a tragic truth that will shake her family to its core—and force her to make an impossible choice. Should she bring shame to her family and risk everything by telling the truth, or tell no one and dishonor Mei Lien's memory?

A touching and tender book for fans of Marie Benedict, Susanna Kearsley, and Duncan Jepson, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk is a dual-time period novel that explores how a delicate piece of silk interweaves the past and the present, reminding us that today's actions have far reaching implications.

Praise for The Girl Who Wrote in Silk:

"A beautiful, elegiac novel, as finely and delicately woven as the title suggests. Kelli Estes spins a spellbinding tale that illuminates the past in all its brutality and beauty, and the humanity that binds us all together."

—Susan Wiggs, New York Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper's Ball

"A touching and tender story about discovering the past to bring peace to the present."

—Duncan Jepson, author of All the Flowers in Shanghai

"Vibrant and tragic, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk explores a horrific, little-known era in our nation's history. Estes sensitively alternates between Mei Lien, a young Chinese-American girl who lived in the late 1800s, and Inara, a modern recent college grad who sets Mei Lien's story free."

—Margaret Dilloway, author of How to Be an American Housewife and Sisters of Heart and Snow

Ratings and reviews

I just finished a marvelous novel from Kelli Estes. It is called The Girl Who Wrote in Silk. I just loved this book and did not want it to end. The book starts out in February 1886 in Puget Sound, Washington Territory. Liu Mei Lien (Liu is her surname) works with her father in his shop in what is now Seattle in Washington Territory. The white people in the area are not happy with the Chinese. They do not like them coming in and taking their jobs. Mei Lien dresses like a boy as protection when she is out in the city (a girl could be attacked). One morning just after Mei Lien awakened there are white men outside their homes with weapons. All the Chinese are being escorted out of the city to a ship called the Prince of the Pacific. Mei Lien, her father, Liu Huang Fu, and her grandmother (who is frail) are forced onto the ship (and have to pay for passage). The ship is to take them to San Francisco. Once the ship is underway Mei Lien overhears Duncan Campbell (owner of ship) talking about the Chinese on the ship. Campbell has no intention of allowing the Chinese to stay on his ship. He is going to dump them into the water when they get far enough out. When Mei Lien tells her father what is going to happen, he gives her his money bag and, when they are near the last island before open water, he pushes her off the ship. Inara Erickson has just inherited her Aunt Dahlia’s estate on Orca Island called Rothesay (near Seattle, Washington). Inara loved going their when she was younger before the death of her mother. Inara has just graduated from graduate school (majored in business) and has a job lined up at Starbucks. Inara is a descendant of Duncan Campbell. Her family runs the business Campbell started. It was originally called Campbell Lines but is now called Premier Maritime Group. PMG is run by Charles Erickson (Inara’s father). Charles has high expectations for his daughter. He expects her to sell the estate and return to Seattle. Inara is exploring the house when she discovers a loose step in Aunt Dahlia’s house (she lived in a little house behind Rothesay). There is a cloth wrapped bundle in the step. When Inara unwraps it she finds a beautifully embroidered blue silk sleeve. It has lovely silk embroidery picturing scenes. Inara would like to discover more about the sleeve. She feels that it is important. Inara calls Dr. Daniel Chin who teaches China studies. This sleeve leads Inara and Daniel on a journey into the past. We get to find out what happened to Liu Mei Lien after she was shoved into the water near Orcas Island. It is amazing how the past can affect the present. This is a moving book that will captivate you from the very first page. I give The Girl Who Wrote in Silk 5 out of 5 stars. This is one of the best books I have read this year. The Girl Who Wrote in Silk is superbly composed. It is one of those books that you will continue to think about for days after you have finished reading it. This is Kelli Estes first novel and I impatiently await her next book. I received a complimentary copy of The Girl Who Wrote in Silk from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

This was a very interesting and informative story that had me go through all sorts of emotions. I completely loved the way the author tells two stories and intertwines them neatly together.

Captivating from the first chapter, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk tells a heartwrenching story weaving the past and present in a unique way. It's difficult to put it down because once you start reading you become caught up in the lives of the characters.

About the author

Kelli Estes lived in the deserts of eastern Washington state and Arizona before settling in the Seattle area, which she loves so much she plans to forever live near the water. She's passionate about stories that help us see how the past shaped who we are today, and how we all have more in common than not. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. This is her first novel.