Out of a Far Country: A Review

Out of a Far Country, by Christopher and Angela Yuan, presents the dual memoir of a mother and son as each struggles to find God amidst heartache, confusion, and loss. With each chapter switching between the perspective of the mother and that of the son, two simultaneous but parallel - and occasionally even opposite - stories are told.
The book opens in 1993, with Christopher telling his traditional Chinese parents that he is gay and thereby ‘officially’ becoming a member of the gay community, where coming out to ones’ parents is seen as a milestone event. Angela balks at her son’s open rebellion of the values he grew up with, just as Christopher finds freedom in revealing his long-kept secret, to his parents’ chagrin.
However, after Angela discovers her own freedom in God and the Bible, she begins to repair what has so long been broken in her life – her lifeless marriage, her cold heart, and her anger towards her son. She stops at nothing to let Christopher know that both she and God love him, no matter his decisions.
Meanwhile, Christopher’s involvement in the gay nightclub scene spirals out of control after he tries ecstasy for the first time, becomes a drug dealer, is involved in a series of homosexual relationships, and eventually is busted by the DEA for possession and selling drugs, specifically ice. During his time in prison is when he too finds the redemption of God, stops doing drugs, begins dealing with an HIV positive diagnosis, and realizes that God wants holy sexuality from him, not just heterosexuality.
The memoir is a touching account of a mother’s unfailing love, a son’s prodigal-like return to his family, and the hope that can be found in God. Although Christopher does not shy away from graphic detail of his time as a drug dealer and user, he does avoid it when it comes to his homosexuality. Thus, this story reads less as a treatise on dealing with homosexuality and Christianity than an account of a junkie finding God and the faithful love of his mother. Either way, the focus is less on the specifics of the sin than on the feel-good redemption of two lost souls, who find each other as they also find hope.