Winnie M Li is the author of three novels and Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham. A former film producer, her debut
Dark Chapter won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize, was nominated for an Edgar Award, and translated into ten languages. She has since adapted it for the screen. Her follow-up
Complicit was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award. Her most recent novel
What We Left Unsaid has been called ‘heartbreaking, beautiful, and confronting’ by Sarah Winman. A Harvard graduate and survivor of sexual violence, Winnie’s writing often explores gender and racial inequality, trauma, and displacement.
Her social media posts on survivorhood and recovery often go viral,
with over 30 million views in total. Winnie holds a PhD from the London School of Economics in Media and Communications and an honorary doctorate from the National University of Ireland.
What We Left Unsaid:
On an unexpected road trip, three estranged siblings uncover a startling family secret and larger truths about being Asian American in a post-COVID world—from the author of the “dazzling and devastating” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author) thriller Complicit.
The Chu siblings haven’t seen each other in years but when they’re told that their ailing mother is scheduled for an operation next month, they agree to visit her together. Then their mother makes an odd request: before seeing her, they must go on a road trip together to the Grand Canyon.
Thirty years ago, a strange incident had aborted a previous family road trip there. No one’s ever really spoken about it, but during this journey, the middle-aged Chu siblings have no choice but to confront their childhood experience.
Together, Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex travel along Route 66—but as the trip continues, they realize the Great American Road Trip may not be what they expected. Facing their own prejudices and those of others, they somehow learn to bridge the distances between them, the present-day, and their past.
With “powerful and beautiful writing” (Sarah Pearse, New York Times bestselling author), Winnie M Li weaves an emotive and eye-opening exploration of family, race, growing up, and what it means to be American.
Praise for What We Left Unsaid:
“A truly gripping and moving exploration of siblings and the secrets we keep from the people closest to us – all of it set against the unexpected twists and turns of an American road trip. The characters are so richly developed, the sibling dynamic so realistic, the glimpse of America so insightful. I was hooked”
– Libby Page, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lido
“This sweeping novel takes us on a journey of heartbreak and hope across a hidden America, and kept me enthralled until the very last page.”
– Rowan Coleman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Summer of Impossible Things
“A road trip takes three siblings across America – the intricate landscape that faces them all, though, is the turbulent dynamics of family and memory. Heartbreaking, beautiful and confronting. This is a wonderful new direction from the author of Complicit.”
– Sarah Winman, bestselling author of Still Life
Anna Metcalfe is a writer and lecturer in Creative Writing. Her short stories have been published in Lighthouse, The Dublin Review and Granta, shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and the Bridport Prize and collected in her first book Blind Water Pass. Her debut novel, Chrysalis, was published in 2023, the same year she was named as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists. She teaches writing at the University of Birmingham.
This event will take place at The Heath Bookshop and tickets are on sale now.
We look forward to seeing you.
Catherine & Claire
The Heath Bookshop