Love and Other Moods

LOCAL AUTHOR

Love and Other Moods is the story of a young woman named Naomi who was raised in the United States but whose heritage spans to both Japan and Taiwan. Naomi finds herself moving to Shanghai with her fiancee Seth and is ready to start a new life with him there. Upon finding some unsavory photos on Seth’s phone from another woman, Naomi makes the difficult decision to leave Seth. But what will she do now? Working for the Shanghai World Expo in the fashion industry, Naomi finds that she loves her work. Although her mother is almost absent from her life, Naomi finds comfort and solace in her friend Joss and some of her work colleagues. She meets playboy restauranteur Logan and strikes up a friendship with him. She also meets a man named Dante whom she enjoys spending time with the more she gets to know him.

Love and Other Moods takes the reader into the world of Shanghai. With its competitive fashion industry, beautiful scenery, and delicious cuisine, Shanghai sounds like a wonderful place to visit.

What I enjoyed most about Love and Other Moods is the way the author took the reader through the daily routine of Naomi. When I was reading the book I could feel what Naomi was feeling during each scene-whether it was at a noisy bar or club or while working at the Expo during stressful moments. The characters in this book were easy to remember as was their relationship to Naomi. Although Naomi is the main character, the author also did a fantastic job of explaining both Joss and Dante’s background stories as well. The dynamic behind Asian family relationships may seem complicated to an outsider, however, Crystal Z. Lee was able to explain some of the reasons for the behaviors in the book. I found this to be truly interesting and the Chinese culture to be very bold. Of course, as a Chinese-American, I have heard of many of the customs but it is still a bit jarring to hear about parents setting up their children via social status.

Overall, Love and Other Moods is a heartwarming and satisfying story about making life decisions-both big and small-while living in a fast-paced world. I would recommend this book to anyone who is planning to visit or move to Shanghai or who would like to know a little bit more about Chinese culture in this part of the country.