North of the Tai: A Tale of Three Continents.

Lisa Arsenault is a high-school English teacher who is involved in
several ministry campaigns to increase literacy.

North of the Tai spans three generations of a mixed race (European, Canadian, Chinese) family living through turbulent times—World War I, the Japanese invasion of China, and the Korean War.  The principal characters are, or become, soldiers. Military history figures largely in the plot.

In fact, the novel is almost entirely plot-driven, and reads as a series of events loosely strung together. There is very little in the way of character development, and the protagonists never achieve a well-rounded three-dimensionality. They are so superficially drawn that they appear to be there merely as a front for the description of events. This makes it difficult to summon much empathy for them.

Written mostly in third person, the book contains several first-person sections, presumably in an attempt to inject some life into protagonists Ian, Lily, and Sean. The dialogue, stilted and generally too formal, does nothing to animate the characters or enhance character development. The prose is pedestrian, simplistic, often awkward, and repetitive. In particular, to describe various females’ attributes the phrase “Sean had never seen” is used to the point of teeth-gritting exasperation.

Fans of military history may find this a worthwhile read; however, as a multi-generational family saga, which this novel purports to be, it misses the mark.