J.R. Thornton’s debut novel Beautiful Country was first published in China in 2013. The plot is loosely based on Thornton’s own biography: a young American teenager moves to China with his family, plays tennis, and learns how different life can be around the globe. There are differences here and there, but what Thornton does extremely well is portray the raw honesty of growing up in a foreign land. I spoke with the author just before the American release of his […]