Wu Lou opens with a tragic scene set in a small temple hidden within the lush Cambodian jungle. Tutu, a young woman, discovers her fiancé, a Khmer Rouge officer, dead beneath a statue of the Buddha. As a result, the master monk of the temple, Wu Lou, is forced into exile, marking the beginning of a lifelong odyssey.

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From Cambodia during the tumultuous 1970s, the narrative shifts to modern-day California at the height of the coronavirus. Tutu is now a successful real estate agent, and Terry, the novel’s narrator, is her client. As an immigrant newly arrived from China and desperate to earn money, Terry worked as a card dealer in a casino, despite his misgivings, but that was many years ago. When he reencounters a mysterious gambler from his casino days—a former high roller named Miller—his life is profoundly affected. Meanwhile, as fate would have it, Tutu discovers that Terry and his wife know Wu Lou, the man she has spent half a century searching for—reawakening memories long buried and relationships long ended.

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Shifting in time and place from Southeast Asia during the spread of communism to pandemic-era Los Angeles, Wu Lou presents a rich tapestry of lives shaped by the forces of love, ideology, and obsession, whether in spiritual pursuit or revolutionary fervor. It paints a compelling picture of human endurance and suffering against the backdrop of historical events, examining how destinies are reshaped during revolutionary times. The story also delves into themes of obsessive attachment and letting go, the cyclical nature of life, love’s enduring power, and the perpetual quest for meaning.

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Wu Lou is a must-read for those who treasure narratives of profound emotional and philosophical depth.