The Interior

A Red Princess Mystery

By: Lisa See

Narrated by: Janet Song

“See paints a fascinating portrait of a complex and enigmatic society, in which nothing is ever quite as it appears, and of the people, peasant and aristocrat alike, who are bound by its subtle strictures.” (San Diego Union-Tribune)

While David Stark is asked to open a law office in Beijing, his lover, detective Liu Hulan, receives an urgent message from an old friend imploring her to investigate the suspicious death of her daughter, who worked for a toy company about to be sold to David’s new client, Tartan Enterprises.

Despite David’s protests, Hulan goes undercover at the toy factory in the rural village of Da Shui, deep in the heart of China. It is a place that forces Hulan to face a past she has long been running from. Once there, rather than finding answers to the girl’s death, Hulan unearths more questions, all of which point to possible crimes committed by David’s client. Suddenly, Hulan and David find themselves on opposing sides: One of them is trying to expose a company and unearth a killer, while the other is ethically bound to protect his client.

As pressures mount and danger increases, Hulan and David uncover universal truths about good and evil, right and wrong - and the sometimes subtle lines that distinguish them.

Praise for The Interior:

“[See] illuminates tradition and change, Western and Eastern cultural differences.... All this in the middle of her thriller which is also about greed, corruption, abuse of the disadvantaged, the desperation of those on the bottom of the food chain, and love.” (The Tennessean)

“Sophisticated...graceful... See’s picture of contemporary China’s relationship with the United States is aptly played out through her characters.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Immediate, haunting and exquisitely rendered.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

©2010 Lisa See (P)2010 Random House

Narration is terrible

I liked this story however, I couldn't get past the robotic and almost monotone voice of the narrator.

Taking for granted those Christmas toys made in Ch

Janet Song read wonderfully. The story was a bit drawn out. I have read all of Lisa Sees' books and think she is a good read.

Performance was good. Story so so.

This did not keep my interest nearly as much as other Lisa See books. Way too many characters. I listened to it all just too be sure I guessed the correct outcome. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Lisa Sees historical books are way more readable

lisa see books will always remain my favorites.

Loved it. another historical style novel that makes you realize how lucky we are to live in the USA.

Just OK

I love Lisa See and her Red Princess story "Dragon Bones" was pretty good. I was pretty disappointed in this story as I often found it kind of boring and my mind began to wander. I didn't even listen to the last half hour. It wasn't bad though I guess. Entertaining.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHINA...WITH ENJOYMENT!

I HAVE READ SEVERAL OF LISA SEE'S NOVELS...I AM ALWAYS LEFT WITH A GOOD FEELING OF KNOWING A BIT MORE OF HOW IT HAS BEEN FOR CHINESE AMERICANS COMING TO AMERICA. THIS TIME I WAS IN CHINA AND CAME AWAY FEELING GRATEFUL FOR HAVING BEEN BORN IN AMERICA. AND YET APPRECIATING THE CHINESE MORE AND KNOWING MORE ABOUT THEIR CHINESE EXPERIENCE....SUCH A GOOD STORY.

it's OK

love how Janet Song reads but... some parts were bland.
you need more than an hour at a time to stay with the story

Another winner from Lisa See

Lisa See does it again in this mystery that spans the globe between California and China. Chinese culture is vividly authentic. The characters are believable and the story is current. The struggle between the east and west is interesting and the struggles that China has been experiencing is accurate. Liu Hu Lan continues to be an interesting character to follow, though I felt she was a little too cold this time. There were a few instances where I actually didn't like her. She just seemed overly cold and unfeeling. Whether this is indicative of Chinese women of her status or just how the character was written I don't know. I would definitely read it again and recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by Chinese culture and great mysteries.

A good story

Overall, I liked this book but it seemed to drag a bit at the end. I struggled to finish since most of the questioned seemed to already be answered.

Hard to Follow at Times

I liked listening to this book until the end (the last hour and a half) when it was confusing to follow and drug along a bit. I usually love Lisa See's books, but this one didn't work so well for me. The narrator is ok, but it was difficult at times to determine which character was talking. The narrator's voice didn't change even slightly with the different characters.