Review of The Admiral’s Wife

Hong Kong 1912

M.K. Tod’s latest historical fiction, The Admiral’s Wife, is a dual time story set in Hong Kong. The young British admiral’s wife of the title, Isabel, arrives there with her husband and daughter in 1912. Her culture shock amid this crowded and utterly foreign city is exacerbated by her husband’s frequent absences and indifference to her struggles. Unlike most in the expat community, Isabel wants to socialize with the Chinese, although her husband disapproves of any such contact. His attitude leads to Isabel’s concealment of her friendship with a charming, influential Chinese businessman. Once initiated, secrets have a way of expanding.

Hong Kong 2016

A century later in 2016, a very different woman, Patricia, returns to Hong Kong after many years of living in the United States. Her father owns and directs a family bank in Hong Kong. Although he brought his daughter and son to the U.S. to live for a time, he regrets that his daughter stayed and has grown apart from her Chinese heritage. That is only one of the sources of tension between them. He also insists she must have a child, although she’s suffered three miscarriages.

Multi-themed Dual Timeline

Tod has cleverly interwoven the stories of these two women. Sometimes dual time stories feel contrived, but not this one. The interconnections between the two timelines unfurl organically in the plot and characters, but also in the novel’s nuanced themes. Tod explores interracial romance, sexual identity, cultural heritage, mother-daughter relationships, the role of marriage, the power of friendship, the corrosive effect of lies and secrets, business ethics and ambition, and self-sacrifice for others. That’s a lot for one book, and it’s a tribute to Tod’s skill that she can integrate so many thought-provoking conflicts and explorations without a hint of preachiness. She does this by creating deeply moving tragedy and joys that draw in the reader with a full heart.

Novel with a Delicious Side of Travelogue

One of this book’s other strengths is the detail and richness of its depiction of life in Hong Kong in these two time periods. Sadly, in many ways, the Hong Kong of 2016 is no more. In a tragic way, both the Hong Kong’s of this novel are “historic,” despite the recentness of 2016. Tod, who lived in Hong Kong for three years, explained that she chose to depict the Hong Kong she had witnessed. She felt that any fiction set during the last couple years would have to give a central place to the demonstrations and shuttering of freedom. That was a different story and not hers to tell.

Trip to 2016

An example of Tod’s vivid world-building occurs early in the novel as Patricia walks through the streets with her brother:

“On the way to the restaurant they passed a number of street vendors, their carts perched on crowded corners, offering food—roasted chestnuts, fish balls, pineapple buns, egg tarts, frilled squid—to those passing by. At one, a man wearing a purple shirt and blue baseball cap stirred sweet potatoes, while at another a woman was weaving something onto a stick. The smell was pungent, not exactly unpleasant, but definitely spicy.

Trip to 1912

The divided world that is Isabel’s experience of Hong Kong is represented in the setting on one of Isabel’s first trips out in the city with her friend Myrna:

“The rickshaw driver turned right and then right again onto Des Voeux Road. As he pulled the vehicle, Isabel heard the slap of his feet against the roadway and wondered how he managed going barefoot every day.

            “And here’s the statue of our late queen,” Myrna said. She pointed at an imposing bronze of Queen Victoria in all her regal splendor enthroned beneath a stone canopy. “And those are the cricket grounds. And our new law courts.”

            Isabel turned her head back and forth as Myrna gestured lleft and right. “Where do the Chinese shop?” she asked.

            “Their shops are west of here. You’ll find that area confusing because it has so many small streets. I go to a Chinese seamstress who makes clothes for the children…

Highly Recommended

I recommend The Admiral’s Wife to travel back in time to Hong Kong and to immerse yourself in a compelling, page-turning story.

To buy The Admiral’s Wife on Amazon. (affiliate link)

Visit M.K. Tod’s website, A Writer of History.

Here for M.K. Tod’s guest post about her novel Paris in Ruins.