Joan Liang's life is a series of surprising developments: she never thought she would leave Taiwan (and for all places, California), nor did she expect her first marriage to implode - especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. She definitely did not expect to fall in love with an older, wealthy American and become his fourth wife and mother to his youngest children. Through all this she asks herself the question familiar to so many of us: what are we living for? And are we ever truly satisfied?

"Captivating from the first sentence ... a beautiful character study spanning an entire life while navigating the joys, sorrow and surprises that life can throw our way" - Woman and Home

"With hints of Anne Tyler, Wang shows how the extraordinary can find its way into every life" - Vogue

"Subtle, surprising, and elegantly constructed, The Satisfaction Cafe is an insightful and funny exploration of how seldom our choices feel like choices; how rare and elusive the idea of home can feel" - Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight

"Kathy Wang's quietly pitched but engaging character study [has] a cool, crystalline, lightly witty detachment ... One for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler" - The Times

"Beautifully observed ... Wang vividly portrays both immense tragedy and quiet success in the trajectory of a single life with compassion, humour and wisdom" - Observer

"An antidote to our global dissatisfaction ... Ironic but rarely biting, Wang's narration moves nimbly just above Joan's perplexed perspective while catching the notes of absurdity and hypocrisy around her. That's perfect because Joan is always within and without - participating in the culture of wealthy White people but also subjected to it, living in luxury but caught in an undercurrent of condescending comments, glances, and expectations" - Washington Post

"Kathy Wang's sumptuous new novel The Satisfaction Cafe beguiled me so fiercely I wanted, once finished, to un-remember it so I could relish it again for the first time. In no way the Hallmark-card rom-com its title may suggest, this deft, sharp, funny, poignant chronicle delights and surprises: modern, complex, credibly absurd. Traveling skillfully across one woman's lifetime, readers will feel up-close and personal - both to that trajectory and to all the lives it touches. One of the richest, prickliest, wittiest contemporary sagas I can recall, "Satisfaction" is - I'm sorry, no other words work - profoundly satisfying" - Boston Globe

"Captivating, beautiful, superbly told ... Just sublime!" - Woman's Weekly

"This novel offers an intimate portrait of a woman navigating life's many complexities. Wonderfully written, with real depth and empathy, it reveals the strengths and flaws of its characters with warmth and honesty. A captivating, thought-provoking read" - Press Association

"Welcome to sunny California ... peopled by a rich mix of flawed humanity ... satisfaction guaranteed" - Saga