The Faraway Bride · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for The Faraway Bride by Stella Benson.

Read with companions Book page

Each chapter has a companion in the reader — open a free preview to see notes beside the text.

Chapter 1
Author's Note
The author explains the inspiration for the novel from the Apocryphal Book of Tobit, drawing a parallel between exiled Jews and White Russian refugees in Manchuria. She details the historical and geographical setting of Kanto, the ethnic composition (Koreans, Chinese, Japanese, Russians), and the precarious legal and social position of White Russian exiles after the Russian Revolution. She also clarifies linguistic confusion among Chinese dialects and notes that the village of Chi-tao-kou is a composite, fictional creation.
Chapter 2
Author’s Request to Reader
The author requests that the reader consult the appendix before starting the story, as the parallel between the narrative of The Faraway Bride and the appendix is intended to be kept in mind throughout the book.
Chapter 3
The Faraway Bride
Seryozha and Wilfred Chew travel to Seoul, leaving Anna behind in despair. The chapter explores themes of exile, displacement, and the emotional detachment that accompanies separation.
Chapter 4
I
Tobit introduces himself, his lineage, and his faithful adherence to the law of God despite the apostasy of his tribe. He recounts his acts of charity, his marriage to Anna, and his son Tobias. After being taken captive to Nineveh, he maintains his piety, gains favor under King Enemessar, and later suffers persecution under Sennacherib for burying the dead, losing his property but eventually being restored through his nephew Achiarcharus.
Chapter 5
II
Tobit returns home for Pentecost, but his joy turns to sorrow when he learns of a strangled countryman. He buries the dead despite mockery, and that night is blinded by sparrow droppings. His wife Anna takes up sewing and receives a kid goat as a gift, but Tobit suspects it is stolen, leading to a bitter argument.

Free preview

28 more chapter companions sit beside the text in BetterReads — open a free preview to unlock the rest.

28 more companions → free preview

Author's Note

Author’s Request to Reader

The Faraway Bride

I

II