Author Night at Latter Library: Allison Alsup

Foreign Seed

Equal parts mystery and epic novel inspired by historical events, "Foreign Seed" plunges readers into the search for Frank Meyer, a plant explorer who vanished during an expedition to China in 1918.

When the explorer Frank Meyer suddenly disappears from a ferry on the Yangtze River, American Vice-Consul Samuel Sokobin is tasked with finding the missing man. By the time Sokobin receives the case, four days have passed since Meyer was last seen on the vast river. With no clues to guide his search and fearing failure in his new post as a man of rank, Sokobin heads upriver with Mr. Lin, a Chinese interpreter he’s never met. The investigation soon turns deeply personal for Sokobin, who can’t help but conflate Meyer’s fate with that of his own daring younger brother—a fighter pilot gone MIA in the world war. As Sokobin continues to search for answers, this mental connection threatens to break him, and he’s forced to contend with the biggest question of all: what do we do when the answers we most desperately seek are the very ones that elude us?

A sweeping tale of loss and grief, Foreign Seed is a moving testament to friendship, faith, and the resilience of the human spirit. Allison Alsup’s exquisitely-researched debut novel will stay in readers’ hearts and minds long after they’ve turned the last page.

Allison Alsup has won multiple contests and recognitions, including the 2014 O. Henry Prize Stories, Best Food Writing 2015, and the UK'S 2018 Manchester Fiction Prize shortlist. She is the co-founder of the non-profit New Orleans Writers Workshop, where, in addition to teaching, Allison mentors fellow writers one-on-one to develop their stories. Foreign Seed is her first novel.

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