A story of alienation, love, suspense, and imagination set on the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, SIMONE describes a self-educated Chinese immigrant student stalking (and courting) a disillusioned writer. The novel begins with the writer's frustrated, satiric observations on his native city and the life of the university where he teaches. It progresses to the cat-and-mouse game he enters into with his mystery stalker; finally it describes his recognition of the plight of Chinese immigrant workers in Puerto Rico. Traumatized and lonely, the characters move towards bitter-sweet collaborations in passion, grief, literature and art. Longing to escape his isolation and his native city, the writer ends by embracing both.
