{"product_id":"paper-wife-9781503904576","title":"Paper Wife","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eYellow Crocus\u003c\/i\u003e comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSouthern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling's parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband's first wife--a paper wife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she's met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn't know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan's life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family--even if it's built on a paper foundation?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIbrahim, Laila:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eLaila Ibrahim spent much of her career as a preschool director, a birth doula, and a religious educator. That work, coupled with her education in developmental psychology and attachment theory, provided ample fodder for the stories in her novels, \u003ci\u003ePaper Wife\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMustard Seed\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eYellow Crocus\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe's a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do her part to add a little more love and justice to our beautiful and painful world. She lives with her wonderful wife, Rinda, and two other families in a small cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Her young adult children are her pride and joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaila is blessed to be working full-time as a novelist. When she isn't writing, she likes to take walks with friends, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, work in the garden, travel, cook, and eat all kinds of delicious food. Visit the author at www.lailaibrahim.com or at Facebook at www.facebook.com\/lailaibrahim.author.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lake Union Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50339514384658,"sku":"9781503904576","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_333965b2-cf72-4132-9531-24e7336a386d.jpg?v=1728006255","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/paper-wife-9781503904576","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}