Item: The Golden Gate
Rating: 5.00
Author: bookanonjeff

by Amy Chua

Amy Chua's debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.

In Berkeley, California, in 1944, Homicide Detective Al Sullivan has just left the swanky Claremont Hotel after a drink in the bar when a presidential candidate is assassinated in one of the rooms upstairs. A rich industrialist with enemies among the anarchist factions on the far left, Walter Wilkinson could have been targeted by any number of groups. But strangely, Sullivan’s investigation brings up the specter of another tragedy at the Claremont, ten years earlier: the death of seven-year-old Iris Stafford, a member of the Bainbridge family, one of the wealthiest in all of San Francisco. Some say she haunts the Claremont still.

The many threads of the case keep leading Sullivan back to the three remaining Bainbridge heiresses, now adults: Iris’s sister, Isabella, and her cousins Cassie and Nicole. Determined not to let anything distract him from the truth—not the powerful influence of Bainbridges’ grandmother, or the political aspirations of Berkeley’s district attorney, or the interest of China's First Lady Madame Chiang Kai-Shek in his findings—Sullivan follows his investigation to its devastating conclusion.

Chua’s page-turning debut brings to life a historical era rife with turbulent social forces and groundbreaking forensic advances, when race and class defined the very essence of power, sex, and justice, and introduces a fascinating character in Detective Sullivan, a mixed race former Army officer who is still reckoning with his own history.

More Noir Than Thriller. This is a *great* detective story set in pre-D-Day 1944 San Francisco that truly reads as more of a noir than an actual thriller. There is quite a bit of mystery and intrigue, but very few murders or even action sequences and really a rather lot of mind games and misdirection. So while it has bone-chilling moments, I really wouldn't market this thing as a "thriller". Beyond that, though, truly a superb book that combines history that many likely didn't know (I know *I* didn't, and American History is one of my stronger non-degree-oriented knowledge sets) with a *just* real enough story that you could believe it could have actually happened, if you were not 100% aware as you're reading it that it is, in fact, historical fiction. Thus, it actually ranks as one of the *stronger* historical fiction tales around - and particularly noteworthy for a debut (in fiction anyway) author. While there is an element of "white guy bad" here, there is also a crucial *good* white guy, which brings enough of a balance to avoid any allegations of *blatant* racism, even as both the story itself and the author's note at the back reveal that there is quite a bit of anti-white animus animating the story. But as this is primarily a story of non-white characters and their struggles during the Japanese Internment Camp era of US History, along with a dose of international intrigue with the addition of several more non-white characters from another prominent region outside of the US but significant during the era (and since), it isn't so truly blatant or pervasive as to really mar the story at all. Indeed, it is only after finishing the book, and particularly while reading the author's note, that the anti-white sentiment is *really* noticeable. So yet again, kudos for hiding in plain site with that one. Overall, this is truly a rather strong (fiction) debut, and it will be interesting to see what the author can do in this space with any sophomore effort. Very much recommended.

Reading updates

2 October, 2023: Started reading

4 October, 2023: Finished reading

5 October, 2023: Reviewed