With 'Rabbit Moon,' Jennifer Haigh chooses Shanghai as the backdrop to family tragedy

Summary

NPR's Book of the Day: In-Depth Summary of Jennifer Haig’s Rabbit Moon

NPR's Book of the Day recently featured an insightful interview with acclaimed novelist Jennifer Haig about her latest work, Rabbit Moon. Hosted by Scott Tang, the episode delves deep into the novel's intricate portrayal of family tragedy set against the vibrant backdrop of Shanghai. Below is a comprehensive summary capturing the key discussions, themes, and insights from the episode.

---

Introduction to Rabbit Moon

Rabbit Moon is a compelling family drama centered on Lindsay Litvak, a young American woman residing in Shanghai who becomes the victim of a hit-and-run accident. The novel explores the ripple effects of this tragedy on her already fractured family, including her separated parents and younger sister. Jennifer Haig emphasizes that for her, a novel "begins with the moment after which nothing will ever be the same" ([00:02] Andrew Limbong).

Shanghai: A Dynamic Backdrop

Jennifer Haig’s experience living in Shanghai significantly influences the novel’s setting. She describes the city as “unlike any place I have ever spent [time]” ([02:41] Jennifer Haig). Shanghai’s rapid transformation, with buildings being demolished and rebuilt at an astonishing pace, serves as a metaphor for the characters' evolving relationships and the instability within the family. Haig notes, “It was really disorienting. It was hard to keep landmarks, in fact, because you could see the city remodeling before your eyes” ([02:41]).

Scott Tang relates this to his own experiences, highlighting the city’s energy and constant change, which Haig adeptly captures to immerse readers in Shanghai’s cosmopolitan high society.

Character Development and Family Dynamics

At the heart of Rabbit Moon are the complex relationships within Lindsay's family. The novel portrays Lindsay as a troubled young woman who moved to China to escape her past and her parents. Haig explains that "Lindsay's not a student. She has dropped out of college. She's a pretty troubled young woman with a complicated history" ([05:07] Jennifer Haig). This decision to flee reflects broader themes of alienation and the search for identity.

Lindsay's parents, divorced and acrimonious, rush to Shanghai to support her, adding layers of tension and unresolved conflicts to the narrative. Haig states, “This whole question of the rightness or wrongness of international adoption is actually tied up in the conflict within this mother-daughter relationship” ([08:23]).

Exploring Adoption and Cultural Identity

A significant subplot involves Lindsay’s younger sister, Grace, who was adopted from China into the Litvak family in Massachusetts. Initially resistant to her adoption, Grace grapples with her identity and the cultural divide between her Chinese heritage and her American upbringing. Haig observes, “When we first meet her as an 11-year-old, she simply doesn't want to be adopted” ([07:06]).

Throughout the novel, Grace’s perspective evolves as she slowly reconciles her sense of self with her adoptive family. Haig approaches this sensitive topic with “extreme empathy,” striving to portray the nuanced emotions and conflicts that come with international adoption ([06:10]).

Themes of Empathy and Multiple Perspectives

Jennifer Haig emphasizes the importance of empathy in storytelling. She believes that “writing a novel, like reading a novel, is an exercise in extreme empathy,” which allows her to delve into the minds of diverse characters ([06:10] Jennifer Haig). This method is evident as the narrative shifts between the perspectives of Lindsay, her parents, and Grace, offering a multifaceted view of the family's struggles.

Additionally, Haig introduces Sun, the property manager in Shanghai, whose backstory provides a poignant glimpse into Chinese history, particularly the Cultural Revolution. Sun's unique perspective as a local contrasts with the predominantly American viewpoints of the other characters, enriching the novel’s cultural context ([09:03] Jennifer Haig).

The Intersection of Causality and Chance

One of the novel’s profound themes is the interplay between causality and chance. Haig reflects on how minor changes can lead to significant consequences, akin to the butterfly effect. She shares a moment from the book where Lindsay’s meeting with a woman named Mei could have altered the course of her life had circumstances been slightly different: “if Lindsay had been sitting in the restaurant next door, everything that happened in her life from that point forward would have unfolded differently” ([10:17] Jennifer Haig).

This contemplation underscores the fragility of fate and the myriad possibilities that shape our lives, making Rabbit Moon not just a family drama but also a meditation on destiny and choice.

Final Thoughts and Literary Significance

Rabbit Moon is lauded for its rich character development, emotional depth, and vivid portrayal of Shanghai. Jennifer Haig’s adept storytelling captures the essence of familial bonds strained by tragedy and cultural displacement. Through empathetic character exploration and a dynamic setting, Haig invites readers to ponder the intricate web of relationships and the unforeseen events that define our lives.

Scott Tang concludes the interview by celebrating Haig’s achievement, stating, “Jennifer, congratulations on the book and thanks for the time” ([10:59]).

---

Rabbit Moon promises to be a thought-provoking addition to contemporary literature, exploring universal themes through the lens of a specific cultural and familial context. Jennifer Haig’s latest novel is a testament to her mastery in weaving complex narratives that resonate deeply with readers.

Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. There's a bit of writing advice in today's interview. It's with novelist Jennifer Hague talking about her novel Rabbit Moon. It's a family drama centered around a young American woman living in Shanghai who gets into a car accident. And in this interview with Here and Now, Scott Tang, Haig gets into how this affects her separated parents and her sister and the familial bond between them all. And in talking about all of that, Haig drops this nugget of wisdom that for her, a novel begins with the moment after which nothing will ever be the same. Her interview's coming up after the break.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Discover. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the last 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the Now It Pays to Discover. Learn more at discover.com credit card Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, this.

Message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a gar entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level today.

[Scott Tang]

The new novel Rabid Moon by Jennifer Haig starts with a hit and run accident pre dawn in Shanghai. The story is largely about the pedestrian victim, an American college age woman named Lindsay Litvak, and then her parents, who are divorced. They hurry over from the States to the Chinese hospital where she's in a coma. Meantime, her younger sister is at a summer camp in the New England woods waiting for word. Lindsay's accident scars a family that is already fractured. Jennifer Haig is author of several acclaimed novels, including Mercy street, which won the Mark Twain American Voice for Literature Award. And she joins us. Jennifer, good to have you.

[Jennifer Haig]

Good to be here, Scott.

[Scott Tang]

Shanghai is the backdrop to this novel, this family tragedy you write about. You've lived there for a while as you worked on this, I gather. It's fun reading about a lot of Familiar places, as I spent several years there myself. What struck you about the place?

[Jennifer Haig]

It is unlike any place I have ever spent. Time, probably what sticks in my mind most is the pace of everything. It's a megacity, it's a city of 30 million people, and everything moves at this sort of accelerated pace. In the time I lived there on a regular basis, I would see buildings being torn down that looked virtually new. And so these new buildings were torn down and replaced by newer buildings so quickly that it was really disorienting. It was hard to keep landmarks, in fact, because you could see the city remodeling before your eyes.

[Scott Tang]

Yeah. When I first got there, and this goes back to 2006, an investor guy was one of the first people I met there. And he says, look around, you see the cranes in all directions. That's why the national bird of China, China is the crane. Ha ha. But it's true, right? I mean, all of that is happening and it's moving so quickly. But you have a lot of Shanghai in the book. The smells, its energy for the reader who will never go there. What are you trying to deliver about Shanghai to the reader?

[Jennifer Haig]

You know, the book is very much about the loneliness of travel, the kind of isolation you feel when you're in an unfamiliar environment. The main character, Lindsay, who is the victim of this hit and run accident, has been living in China for some time. She speaks the language. She is very much at home there. But after the accident, her parents do what any parents would do. They get on a plane and fly to China. And so here they are in this traumatic situation, trying to navigate the healthcare system, which is hard in any culture, in any language. And on top of it, they are acrimoniously divorced. So as a writer, I always feel that a novel begins with the moment after which nothing will ever be the same. And for this family, that moment is the moment of the accident. And the rest of the novel looks at the consequences of that accident and also a set of consequences that brought Lindsay to Shanghai in the first place. Yeah.

[Scott Tang]

And let me ask you a little bit about Lindsay, your protagonist, her situation. The idea of an American college age young woman from the Boston area ending up in Shanghai's cosmopolitan high society life. How did the idea come to you?

[Jennifer Haig]

You know, I am one of those people who did a junior year abroad years ago, and it was a life changing experience for me. Rabbit Moon turns that idea of junior year abroad on its head because, in fact, Lindsay's not a student. She has dropped out of college. She's A pretty troubled young woman with a complicated history. And part of the reason she is in China to begin with is to flee her family. It's something that I find remarkable about the era we live in. It's really easy to lie. It's easy to lie to your parents. You know, for a couple of years, Lindsay's parents have had no contact with her beyond phone calls and text. And she could be anywhere doing absolutely anything.

[Scott Tang]

Well, her parents, as you described their divorce, their relationship is very challenging. And you also write a lot about her younger sister who was born in China, adopted from China into this Massachusetts family. At different moments, you write from the point of view of each of them. Why do you know?

[Jennifer Haig]

I think that writing a novel, like reading a novel, is an exercise in extreme empathy. And I know that is a word that has suddenly, improbably become controversial in our culture whether empathy is in fact a good thing. I firmly believe empathy is a good thing. And for me as a fiction writer, part of the experience of empathy is writing from different points of view. So at different times in the story, I spend time in each of these characters heads. Probably of all of them, I had the greatest affection for Grace, the younger sister, who is 11 years old when the story start and is very, very attached to her older sister, Lindsay. The parents go to Shanghai to see what's happened to Lindsay. Grace is stuck at summer camp in New Hampshire and not happy to be there. And so the time I spend in Grace's point of view, it's a lot of her wondering what's happening to her family and why is nobody communicating with her.

[Scott Tang]

Well, let's talk about Grace and her adoption. Lindsay, her older sister, at one point, you know, describes this and she describes her mother as being a naive American who sees herself as a white savior rescuing a poor Chinese girl. Of course, others argue international adoption may deprive a child of ancestral culture, may take a child from biological parents. How does Grace in the end think about her adoption?

[Jennifer Haig]

Over the course of the novel, you see an evolution in the way Grace thinks about this. When we first meet her as an 11 year old, she simply doesn't want to be adopted. And so she is really refused. Her parents attempts to teach her about Chinese culture. You know, her parents have wanted her to take language lessons and calligraphy lessons and Chinese dance lessons. And Grace will have none of it because it makes her feel separate from this family she loves. She does not want to be different. And over the course of the story, her thinking about this changes.

[Scott Tang]

Yeah, and how did you Kind of approach, writing about adoption, Chinese adoption. I mean, it's a topic a lot of people discuss, debate, have different views on.

[Jennifer Haig]

It's something I've been interested in for a long time because I have both friends and close family members who've adopted daughters from China. So I have seen up close.

[Scott Tang]

Including me.

[Jennifer Haig]

Yes, so I hear. So in each of these families, you know, I've gotten a different view of how this adoption can play out. And the adoption experience in Rabbit Moon is not meant to be typical. I realize there is no such thing. It's a look at how this plays out in one particular family. And so this whole question of the rightness or wrongness of international adoption is actually tied up in the conflict within this mother, daughter relationship.

[Scott Tang]

There is one peripheral character I want to ask you about, Sun. Mr. Sun is the property manager in the building in Shanghai where Lindsay lives. He's a wid. Has no children. His parents are gone. This is a little window into Chinese history here, isn't it?

[Jennifer Haig]

Yes, yes. You know, I loved writing the character of sun. And we get his point of view quite briefly. There's only one section that is from his point of view, but it's a lens on China that none of the other characters can possibly have. The other characters, by and large, are Americans. You know, part of the experience of being a foreigner is that you have this heightened ability to observe. You have fresh eyes because everything is new. But you don't always understand why things are the way they are. And sun is there to provide that.

[Scott Tang]

Yeah, it's striking to read that. And that, like so many people of this generation, are directly connected to the society wide disaster of the Cultural Revolution. And to me, that is what the sun story kind of tells. Finally, Jennifer, toward the end of your book, you have this line. We live at the intersection of causality and chance. Tell me more about that.

[Jennifer Haig]

When I was writing this story, I thought a lot about how it might have unfolded differently. And there is a passage about halfway through the book where Lindsay is visiting Shanghai for the first time and she meets a woman named Mei who becomes very important to her story. And I thought about how if Lindsay had been sitting in the restaurant next door, everything that happened in her life from that point forward would have unfolded differently. When you're writing fiction, you are acutely aware of that, that if you change just one variable, it's the butterfly effect, it changes the whole cascade of consequence that happens afterward.

[Scott Tang]

And it's a universal question, right? I mean, all of us who have lived more than a few minutes asked a version of this question. We've been talking to novelist Jennifer Hague. Her new book is called Rabbit Moon. Jennifer, congratulations on the book and thanks for the time.

[Jennifer Haig]

Thank you, Scott.

[NPR Sponsor]

This message comes from Carvana. Carvana makes car selling easy. Just put in your license plate or VIN and get a real offer in seconds. Whether selling now or whenever feels right. Sell with Carvana. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in house from premium material starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you. Support for NPR and the following message come from Rosetta Stone, the perfect app to achieve your language learning goals no matter how busy your schedule gets. It's designed to maximize study time with immersive 10 minute lessons and audio practice for your commute. Plus tailor your learning plan for specific objectives like travel. Get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership for 50% off and unlimited access to 25 language courses. Learn more at RosettaStone.com NPR.