Foreign Seed
China, June 1918.
When the explorer Frank Meyer mysteriously disappears from a ferry on the Yangtze River, American Vice-Consul Samuel Sokobin is tasked with finding the missing man. 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.
However, the investigation into Meyer’s disappearance quickly turns deeply personal for Sokobin, himself mired in guilt and grief over his daring younger brother, Ethan—a fighter pilot gone MIA in the world war. As Sokobin desperately searches for answers, the fate of the two missing men become conflated in his head and heart, threatening to break him.
Equal parts mystery and classic novel, Foreign Seed is a moving testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
Inspired by the real life investigation into the disappearance of one of history's most iconic botanical explorers—the man who brought the Meyer lemon to the United States.
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“Foreign Seed, with its subtle, subterranean Heart of Darkness rumblings, is one of the most satisfying novels I’ve read in a long time. I got completely and gratefully lost in its rich setting and memorable characters. You will, too.”
— Richard Russo, Pulitzer prize winning author of Somebody’s Fool
“Alsup handles the fascinating complications of Foreign Seed beautifully, pulling the reader through Sobokin's fears to his triumphant growth.”
— Laura Furman, series editor of The O. Henry Prize Stories from 2003–2019
“Alsup has produced the perfect book...a delicious read that I did not want to end.”
— Liz Williams, Founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum,
author of New Orleans: A Food Biography, and Tip of the Tongue podcast