Norah, a vivacious ESL teacher in Hong Kong, deftly straddles two worlds: she is Chinese, but sees life through a western lens because of her upbringing. These two worlds collide when she meets sweet, chivalrous Ben and marries him against her parents’ wishes. Suddenly a wife and daughter-in-law in a traditional Chinese household, Norah is torn between speaking Chinese and English, between being Ben’s wife and her own person, and between giving in to her mother-in-law’s senseless demands and standing up for herself and the way she wants to raise their baby, Joey. 

Ben, meanwhile, finds himself running in circles in an attempt to keep the peace, but to no avail: Despite his best efforts, his mother continues to be critical and disapproving, and his wife quietly discontented. But when Ben’s mother unwittingly puts baby Joey’s life in danger, Norah and Ben realize they cannot go on like this. 

How much are they willing to give up for their happily ever after—or is a happy ending firmly out of reach for a couple like them?

"Jane Lo has written the book many of us wish we'd had years ago, no matter our culture or background. Even better, her book comes with an endearing Hong Kong backdrop that shows the beauty and struggles of people who believe that love truly conquers all." - Susan Blumberg-Kason, author of Good Chinese Wife

"A poignant, incisive exploration of motherhood, family, and the challenges of navigating a marriage that spans class and cultural differences. This thoughtful, moving novel poses a universal question: what happens when you get all you ever wanted, yet realize that to keep it, you'll have to find the courage to make choices you never dreamed of?" - Emily Colin, New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Thief

"Jane Lo’s debut novel All I Ever Wanted is a heartfelt Hong Kong love story.  She writes with lyrical precision and finely observed emotions of the private lives of ordinary people with candor, wit and vision.  They’re your neighbors, your classmates, your colleagues and friends, all the men and women who daily rush through the streets of the city.  Whose lives can too often be swallowed up by the challenges of survival for those who dare to dream. Norah and Ben are the quintessential young Hong Kong couple: they live with his single mother in the flat she raised him in with little privacy; Norah juggles part time work as an ESL language teacher while mothering their baby boy who has seriously itchy skin under the critical eye of her tough-as-steel nai nai; Ben works hard as a commercial photographer to support his family, and still give half his salary to his mother like a good filial son, but is afraid he doesn’t “deserve” his university-and-international-school educated wife with parents in Vancouver, he being just a smart local boy who only wants to do the right thing.  They’re seriously stressed out, but seriously in love.  Will they succeed or will the pressures of the city ultimately be too much to bear? Read this delightful novel slowly to savor all the lovely details Lo captures of a city that harbors so many disappointments and dreams.  This is truly a delightful debut and we look forward to more from this talented new writer." - Xu Xi

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