Next

Summary: Book I: Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1

The novel opens in 1829 in Canton, China. Professor Richard Lovell enters a home in which a young boy lays dying, his mother's corpse beside him. Lovell takes out a silver bar, murmuring a few words and placing it on the boy's chest; his condition immediately improves. The bar leaves a sweet taste in the boy's mouth. Lovell prepares to depart with the child, asking him if there's anything he'd like to bring. Unable to take his mother, he gestures toward a pile of books. Readers learn that the illness that had infected the child and killed his mother was Asiatic Cholera. It also killed Miss Elizabeth "Betty" Slate, who had been caring for the boy and helped him learn English. 

The next day, the child wakes and meets Lovell's housekeeper, Mrs. Piper. Lovell, detached and unemotional, visits and once again brings a strange silver bar, asking the boy to read the inscription. It reads húlún tūn zǎo on one side with the English translation, to accept without thinking, on the other. The boy tastes something sweet, which Lovell indicates is a good sign. It is because of the boy's apparently promising reaction to the silver that Lovell wishes to bring him to London to be educated. Lovell disregards the boy's native name, claiming he needs an English one. The boy chooses Robin Swift, the surname deriving from Gulliver's Travels. 

The three of them board a ship for London. At the docks, Lovell forces Robin to intervene in a dispute between a Chinese laborer being denied passage due to racial prejudice. As the boat departs, Robin watches China shrink away and feels severed from his homeland. On their journey to England, Lovell reveals that he knew Robin's mother and that he has been paying Miss Betty to help raise Robin and teach him English. After a long journey, Robin finally sees London approaching in the distance. 

Chapter 2

Robin reflects on London's mix of grayness and vibrancy. The city has acquired most of the world's silver along with many languages. As a result, it has grown somewhat unnaturally. The city is heavily reliant on silver and Lovell reveals that he has brought Robin to London to learn the craft of silver-working. They arrive at Lovell's Hampstead home, and Robin takes in his new room, which feels as if it were made for some other boy before him. Lovell produces documents to claim Robin as a ward, though he is careful to emphasize that Robin will be a ward, not a son. Lovell sings Oxford's praises, appearing uncharacteristically fond of the place, and remarks that if Robin excels in his studies, he will one day call Oxford home. Robin's new life is defined by organized routine and study, as he begins taking Latin lessons with Mr. Felton and Greek lessons with Mr. Chester. Lovell also makes Robin regularly converse with him in Mandarin so he will maintain his understanding of the language. However, he disregards Robin's native Cantonese, claiming that Mandarin is the preference of the British Empire. Terrified, Robin feels his mother tongue slipping away.

One day, Robin overhears Lovell and his guests discussing Canton. He enters the room and one of the guests mysteriously observes that Robin looks even more like Lovell than the last boy. As Robin departs, he hears Lovell tell the man that Robin doesn't know, prompting Robin to realize that he must be Lovell's son. In his free time, Robin begins to explore London, learning about England from the beloved literature he reads. In fact, a love of reading is the first thing he and Lovell ever bond over, after Lovell buys him a book. Robin also bonds with Mrs. Piper over a mutual love of scones. 

When Robin gets lost in his new book and accidentally misses his Greek lessons, Lovell brutally beats the boy with a fireplace poker. He sternly reminds Robin that if he wishes to stay in England, he must remain diligent with his studies or else face being sent back to Canton, all while making disparaging remarks about Robin's Chinese heritage. Robin commits himself to his studies with vigor. After a few years, Lovell announces that Robin will begin classes at Oxford the following week.

Next section Chapters 3 & 4

Take a Study Break