Cover Crush: Foreigners by E.L. Shen

The cover of Foreigners by E.L. Shen is striking from across a room, and definitely caught my eye when I pulled it out of the package it came in. Bold red background, yellow outlined title running vertically down the right side, and two characters at different scales, one seated barefoot on the lower left looking away, one perched high above a Chinatown streetscape wrapped in a billowing white cloth. A traditional rooftop rising behind modern city buildings. The two characters are clearly from different eras, different worlds, connected by the white fabric that seems to flow between them across time. It is doing exactly what a multigenerational story cover should do, bridging the distance between the characters while making it clear at the same time. E.L. Shen follows the Chin family across three generations, from Manchuria in 1878 to New York City in 1965 to the present day, tracing the great lie that holds them together and the secret that could undo everything. It’s out September 22nd!

Foreigners

by E.L. Shen
Published by: Quill Tree Books
on September 22, 2026
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult
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This propulsive, tender novel follows an immigrant family across generations as they navigate love, belonging, and the great fictions we must weave to preserve a legacy.

For centuries, the Chin family has kept its secrets.

In 1878, Duanfang knows he’s destined for greatness. He’ll do anything to uphold and protect the legacy of his Manchu family—even if it means hiding his past.

In 1966, Zheng Yi flies from Taiwan to New York City to have a shot at attending an American college. Thrown into a world of parties, prejudice, and a tumultuous romance, Yi worries that New York may be more than she can handle. But just as she is beginning to adjust, she must make a shocking decision that will irrevocably change her life and her future forever.

Today, Dawn Chin’s family is opaque at best, with heavy expectations and heavier silences. But an assignment to interview her grandmother is about to crack open her real family a legacy hundreds of years old, and a lie decades in the making...