After Emily’s parents are killed in a massacre in Nanking, Horace decides to move his wife back to Portland ,Oregon where his brother and family still live, also allowing her to be closer to their son Robert who has been in school in Boston.  

On a stopover in San Francisco Horace dies and Emily feels no grief, only a sense of relief and of freedom.  America immediately works its magic on Emily as she becomes determined to assert her independence, starting with insisting on viewing her husband’s body and continuing when she informs his business partner that she will be reviewing all paperwork before signing anything related to business. 

Though she lived a semi-sheltered life in China, Emily has been well-schooled and quickly sees discrepancies in several bills of lading.  She begins to wonder whether her husband was trading in more than the usual tea, spices and opium.  Deciding to delay several decisions until she reaches Portland, Emily learns that her brother-in-law George may have also been involved in Horace’s business dealings and there is definitely someone who doesn’t wish Emily’s involvement in Horace’s affairs at any cost.  

Sharan Newman, well-known for her strong feminist themes and characters, goes out of her way to illustrate the different roles men and women played in the unsettled west just after the Civil War.  Emily proves the adage that “clothes make the woman” after a wardrobe change makes her firmer in her resolve to be independent in her deeds and thoughts, an unexpected conversion given the background provided on Emily.  

It is pretty easy to guess what else Horace was involved in and who else was involved with him.  Emily is able to survive with her quick wits and quick thinking.  The Shanghai Tunnel is a quick, enjoyable read, though the characters aren’t all that easy to get to know and like.  Emily has definite possibilities, though, and it will be interesting to see how she fares in unsettled Portland as the years go by.  

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry