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A review by nicjohnston
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream by Patrick Radden Keefe
4.0
3.5*. The Snakehead tells the meandering tale of immigration from China to the USA in in the 1980s and 1990s, through the unlikely empire of Sister Ping.
Patrick Radden Keefe is an incredible story teller, taking a topic and weaving a mesmerising and complex issue around people who were engaged on the ground.
In 1993 the Golden Venture ship ran aground outside New York with hundreds of migrants on board. This is one of many smuggling operations that Sister Ping was involved. Sister Ping who ran a shop and a restaurant in New York and appeared as a most unlikely criminal (save for her incredible wealth). Leading a criminal empire which focused on people smuggling and providing off-grid international banking services, we are told how smuggling and immigration impact on the individual. In particular are those who find themselves on the high seas for months and thereafter incarcerated in the US for years.
The Snakehead is as sharp as I’ve come to expect from Patrick Radden Keefe. It is at its most engaging when the narrative is character led (much like the Sackler Family in Empire of Pain and the disappeared in Say Nothing). It takes some unnecessary deep dives into politics, which may not age well but the narrative and pacing keep the reader wholly engaged. This book is a true eye opener.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for an ARC.
Patrick Radden Keefe is an incredible story teller, taking a topic and weaving a mesmerising and complex issue around people who were engaged on the ground.
In 1993 the Golden Venture ship ran aground outside New York with hundreds of migrants on board. This is one of many smuggling operations that Sister Ping was involved. Sister Ping who ran a shop and a restaurant in New York and appeared as a most unlikely criminal (save for her incredible wealth). Leading a criminal empire which focused on people smuggling and providing off-grid international banking services, we are told how smuggling and immigration impact on the individual. In particular are those who find themselves on the high seas for months and thereafter incarcerated in the US for years.
The Snakehead is as sharp as I’ve come to expect from Patrick Radden Keefe. It is at its most engaging when the narrative is character led (much like the Sackler Family in Empire of Pain and the disappeared in Say Nothing). It takes some unnecessary deep dives into politics, which may not age well but the narrative and pacing keep the reader wholly engaged. This book is a true eye opener.
Thanks to Pan MacMillan and Netgalley for an ARC.