ALL THE WAY AROUND THE SUN

In her sophomore novel, Tian explores life after loss for high schooler Stella Chen.

Moving from rural Illinois to San Diego, California, and entering a new school midway through senior year feels less than ideal to Stella, who already navigated emigrating to the U.S. from Xi’an, China, when she was in elementary school. But Baba thinks change is what the family needs. It’s been eight months since Stella’s older brother, Sam, died in his dorm room at Harvard, under circumstances her parents won’t reveal, and nothing’s been the same since. The promise of going off to college should be something to be excited about, but it fills Stella with fear. What if the pressure and the silencing of her emotional struggles prove to be too much? When Stella’s parents must unexpectedly travel to China to help family members, Stella’s forced to tour California colleges with the one person who might just get her to open up: her estranged childhood friend, Alan Zhao. Stella’s intimate narrative is a deeply moving story of secrets, grief, belonging, and family bonds. Her inner monologue includes chapters in which she directly addresses Sam, heartbreakingly unveiling memories from their childhood, changing relationship, last moments together, and more. Tian explores diasporic identities and family dynamics, particularly the experiences of satellite babies and how spending early childhood separated from one’s parents can shape relationships. The conclusion is satisfying and comforting without tying everything up too neatly.

A stirring emotional journey.