The central idea of the plot is forced repatriation of all Chinese Americans to a power-hungry China. The Chinese government leverages White House agreement by shutting down the U.S. economy following America’s inability to meet massive debt repayment. A weak President focused on social media is manipulated into the roundup and spins fake news to gain support for internment of Chinese-American citizens and immigrants in centers such as Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium.
Enter the anti-hero: Henry Chin is a widower and seventh-generation Chinese American. He appears to be mild mannered, meekly putting up with anti-Chinese restrictions, such as being limited to shopping for groceries every other weekend on odd-numbered days and at an hour when few supplies remain. But with Henry, what you see ain’t what you get, as his beautiful yet surly teenage daughter, Elizabeth, soon discovers. Henry’s secret is his past as a member of an elite U.S. Army assault team. Only his best friend, neighbor and fellow sharpshooter and demolition expert, Clyde Wilson, knows the truth. To Elizabeth, he is simply “Uncle Clyde.” When peaceful Henry and irritable Elizabeth escape the Rose Bowl to flee into the Angeles National Forest, Uncle Clyde aids their escape with firearms, grenades and freeze-dried food. Meanwhile, the bumbling but ambitious Babcock creates a rogue expedition to find the “terrorist” Chins.
THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN is a nonstop read and worthwhile cautionary tale about historical ignorance. That is, it’s nonstop except when stumbling over sloppy errors such as “he saw what was it was” or the well-spoken Clyde saying, “Once they saw my stockpile I thinking someone made a phone call.” You may want to call the Grammar Police.
~Alicia Rudnicki for IndieReader