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The Jade Peony
Chinatown, Vancouver, in the late 1930s and ‘40s provides the setting for this poignant first novel, told through the vivid and intense reminiscences of the three younger children of an immigrant family. They each experience a very different childhood, depending on age and sex, as they encounter the complexities of birth and death, love and hate, kinship and otherness. Mingling with the realities of Canada and the horror of war are the magic, ghosts, paper uncles and family secrets of Poh-Poh, or Grandmother, who is the heart and pillar of the family.
Wayson Choy's Chinatown is a community of unforgettable individuals who are “neither this nor that,” neither entirely Canadian nor Chinese. But with each other's help, they survive hardship and heartbreak with grit and humour.
Wayson Choy's Chinatown is a community of unforgettable individuals who are “neither this nor that,” neither entirely Canadian nor Chinese. But with each other's help, they survive hardship and heartbreak with grit and humour.
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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4769 people want to read
About the author
Wayson Choy
5 books88 followersBorn in Vancouver in 1939, Wayson Choy has spent much of his life engaged in teaching and writing in Toronto. Since 1967, he has been a professor at Humber College and also a faculty member of the Humber School for Writers. He has appeared in Unfolding the Butterfly, a full-length bio-documentary by Michael Glassbourg, and was recently a host on the co-produced China-Canada film In Search of Confucius. His novels The Jade Peony and Paper Shadows have won several awards. Wayson Choy, and his book All that Matters was short listed for the 2004 Giller Prize. Choy passed away in his home on April 27, 2019, at the age of 80.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 373 reviews
January 20, 2013
An easy and entertaining novel, if you’re interested in Chinese culture you’ll love this immigrant coming of age story. Wayson Choy transports you to Vancouver’s Chinatown circa 30’s - early 40’s up to the outbreak of WW2. He does a beautiful job portraying a Chinese-immigrant family, poignantly illustrated by the polar opposite personalities of grandmother Poh-Poh and her westernized grandchildren. Jook Liang the Shirley Temple wanna-bee; Jung-Sum the adopted boy struggling with his awakening homosexuality and Kiam the essential 1st born male. In Poh-Poh’s eyes all 'mo no' (no brains), born without an understanding of boundaries, neither Chinese nor Canadian. She clings desperately to traditional Chinese ways, ways her grandchildren are equally determined to reject.
Wayson shows a talent for strong characterization, grandmother Poh-Poh’s resonates. Your typical long-suffering 'I die soon' type, content with her lot in life, her potions and ancestral ghosts. With a heavy hand and a mantra of 'Old ways, best ways' she’s duty-bound to raise her grandchildren as she was. To believe all girls are worthless, that children over the age of six should work not play.'Aaiiyaah! The tea is bitter, but we drink it'
Recommended, this is a great story gently & gracefully written. Just not convinced it’s deserving of all the accolades. The POV switching between the 3 children was disjointed and their stories left unresolved. Good news is Wayson has published a well received sequel All That Matters- I plan on reading it.
Solid 3 1/2 stars rounded to 4
“Furnish your mind,” Father said to us. “You don’t have to be poor inside, too.”
If you like this try The Concubine's Children A memoir set in the same time and place, reads like fiction, bit obscure and a real gem.
Wayson shows a talent for strong characterization, grandmother Poh-Poh’s resonates. Your typical long-suffering 'I die soon' type, content with her lot in life, her potions and ancestral ghosts. With a heavy hand and a mantra of 'Old ways, best ways' she’s duty-bound to raise her grandchildren as she was. To believe all girls are worthless, that children over the age of six should work not play.'Aaiiyaah! The tea is bitter, but we drink it'
Recommended, this is a great story gently & gracefully written. Just not convinced it’s deserving of all the accolades. The POV switching between the 3 children was disjointed and their stories left unresolved. Good news is Wayson has published a well received sequel All That Matters- I plan on reading it.
Solid 3 1/2 stars rounded to 4
“Furnish your mind,” Father said to us. “You don’t have to be poor inside, too.”
If you like this try The Concubine's Children A memoir set in the same time and place, reads like fiction, bit obscure and a real gem.
August 27, 2020
I found this short novel surprisingly touching. It tells what life in Chinatown Vancouver was like in the years leading up to the Second Sino-Japanese war (1937 – 1945) for a Chinese immigrant family, whose children were born on Canadian soil.
Seen through the eyes of three young children of this family, Liang (a girl), Jung (a boy) and Sekky (a boy), everyday life with all its joys, worries, cultural and language conflicts, juvenile mischief, generational squabbles and wistful homesickness emerges vividly with bits of puerile logic and humor.
The senile but sharp-minded grandma is at once loved for her mesmerizing China stories and feared for her ability to see through the young minds. The straitlaced and erudite father is given due respect for his head-of-family status and forgiven for his occasional angry outbursts out of growing anxiety about the onslaught of war in his homeland. The mother plays her submissive wifely and motherly roles with grace and tolerance, but whose opinions are always valued by family members in precarious situations.
Through the three children’s perspectives, readers also see them caught between the contrasting Western and Chinese cultures, and how they eventually adapt to the identity challenge and make the best of it. Also woven into the narratives are hardships of first-generation Chinese immigrants in scraping a livelihood in mining and railway construction projects that were fraught with danger, as well as all-round discrimination that Canadian-born Chinese suffered (they were stamped as “Resident Alien” on their birth certificates, meaning they could not become Canadian citizens) and effects of the prohibitive 1923 Chinese Immigration Act.
It was overall an educational and poignant read. I’m giving it 4.4 stars.
September 8, 2020
The Jade Peony is about one of Vancouver's immigrant Chinese families—an elderly grandmother whose tales are of magic and ghosts and the customs, beliefs and traditions of Old China, the mother and father worrying about friends and family back in China and struggling to make ends meet, First Son following in the footsteps of his father, the adopted Second Son, Only Sister Liang and finally Third Son Sekky who is the youngest of the family.
The story is told by the three youngest children, each having their own part, each speaking in the first person narrative. Set in the 1930s and early 1940s, the Depression and the beginning of the Second World War are background events. In China unrolls the conflict between the Communists and Nationalists and Japan’s devastating invasions of the homeland. The book ends with the attack on Pearl Harbor, America’s entry into the war and the ever mounting hatred of all that is Japanese.
The children are all young when they tell of their family, friends, interests and hobbies, of life in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Liang speaks first—she idolizes Shirley Temple and wishes to become a tap dancer. We learn of the adopted son’s past, of movies on cinema screens, of a pet turtle and episodes relating how he is drawn into boxing. The youngest son speaks last. He is ill—pneumonia and breathing difficulties reoccur. With others in the family preoccupied with daily concerns, he is put in the hands of his elderly grandmother and so immersed in her Old China beliefs and stories. With the approaching war he plays war games and rallies against Japanese boys in the neighborhood.
Through the eyes of the three children, we look at life in Vancouver’s Chinatown. We observe life there from a child’s point of view. For me, the story is written not only about children but also for children. It is a book I judge to be best suited for young adults.* Historical facts are kept simple. The language too. There is a lot of swearing though.
Each child’s section consists of anecdotes. They only loosely hold together. Only at the end does momentum rise and action begin to take place. The story concludes as a cliffhanger. To find out what happens, one must pick up the next book in the series. I will not be continuing.
This is not a bad book, but it is for kids or those adults who enjoy reading young adult literature. The language and content are simplified. I’m giving it two stars because although not bad, the child perspective is not for me. See below. I mention other books that are better.
Sean Sonier and Sharon Choy narrate the audiobook. Much of the dialogue consists of Chinese Pidgin English. This is realistic, but not pleasant to listen to. There is a lot of screeching. Sharon Choy speaks Liang’s part. Sean Sonier narrates the two parts by Liang’s youngest and next youngest brother. Two stars for the narration. I could understand what is said but did not enjoy it.
*At two points, violence might upset a young child, if not guided by an adult. Adopted Second Son is .
*****************
*The Jade Peony 2 stars
*All That Matters not for me
*On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family 4 stars
*When the Emperor Was Divine 4 stars
The story is told by the three youngest children, each having their own part, each speaking in the first person narrative. Set in the 1930s and early 1940s, the Depression and the beginning of the Second World War are background events. In China unrolls the conflict between the Communists and Nationalists and Japan’s devastating invasions of the homeland. The book ends with the attack on Pearl Harbor, America’s entry into the war and the ever mounting hatred of all that is Japanese.
The children are all young when they tell of their family, friends, interests and hobbies, of life in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Liang speaks first—she idolizes Shirley Temple and wishes to become a tap dancer. We learn of the adopted son’s past, of movies on cinema screens, of a pet turtle and episodes relating how he is drawn into boxing. The youngest son speaks last. He is ill—pneumonia and breathing difficulties reoccur. With others in the family preoccupied with daily concerns, he is put in the hands of his elderly grandmother and so immersed in her Old China beliefs and stories. With the approaching war he plays war games and rallies against Japanese boys in the neighborhood.
Through the eyes of the three children, we look at life in Vancouver’s Chinatown. We observe life there from a child’s point of view. For me, the story is written not only about children but also for children. It is a book I judge to be best suited for young adults.* Historical facts are kept simple. The language too. There is a lot of swearing though.
Each child’s section consists of anecdotes. They only loosely hold together. Only at the end does momentum rise and action begin to take place. The story concludes as a cliffhanger. To find out what happens, one must pick up the next book in the series. I will not be continuing.
This is not a bad book, but it is for kids or those adults who enjoy reading young adult literature. The language and content are simplified. I’m giving it two stars because although not bad, the child perspective is not for me. See below. I mention other books that are better.
Sean Sonier and Sharon Choy narrate the audiobook. Much of the dialogue consists of Chinese Pidgin English. This is realistic, but not pleasant to listen to. There is a lot of screeching. Sharon Choy speaks Liang’s part. Sean Sonier narrates the two parts by Liang’s youngest and next youngest brother. Two stars for the narration. I could understand what is said but did not enjoy it.
*At two points, violence might upset a young child, if not guided by an adult. Adopted Second Son is .
*****************
*The Jade Peony 2 stars
*All That Matters not for me
*On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family 4 stars
*When the Emperor Was Divine 4 stars
September 30, 2012
This one grew on me after I got used to its gentle, understated approach to coming-of-age issues in a Chinese immigrant family in Vancouver during in the 30’s. We get a sensitive and universal exploration of the challenges of growing up combined with a fresh children’s perspective on the conflicts between following traditions of their immigrant parents versus assimilation to Western culture in an urban multicultural society.
As in Kingsolver’s “Poisonwood Bible”, the novel uses the narrative approach of letting children deliver their overlapping stories in first person. The book’s three sections cover segments of the lives of three children: a girl Liang, her older adoptive brother Jung, and her younger brother Sekky. The dominant character in their young lives is the elderly grandmother, who cares for them while the father and mother work. Despite the children’s great respect for the traditional values of their grandmother, each moves in different ways toward success among their peers in the modern world. Liang dreams of becoming a tap dancer, Jung wants to become a boxer, and Sekky is inclined toward excellence in school.
The fantasies and perceptions of each when they are young reveal wonderfully the struggles of kids to make sense of the adult world. Each has a different take on the grandmother’s belief in superstitions and ghosts and each finds a way to come to terms with bullies and discrimination in the society and at school. The whole family is affected profoundly by the war between Japan and China in the late 30’s and then by the onset of World War 2 at the end of the book. Like San Francisco, Vancouver had a large Japanese community which tragically came to be treated as enemies. As in The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a doomed romance between a Chinese and a Japanese teenager figures in the story, in this case as a dramatic focus that caps off a novel with a broader and more subtle overall scope.
As in Kingsolver’s “Poisonwood Bible”, the novel uses the narrative approach of letting children deliver their overlapping stories in first person. The book’s three sections cover segments of the lives of three children: a girl Liang, her older adoptive brother Jung, and her younger brother Sekky. The dominant character in their young lives is the elderly grandmother, who cares for them while the father and mother work. Despite the children’s great respect for the traditional values of their grandmother, each moves in different ways toward success among their peers in the modern world. Liang dreams of becoming a tap dancer, Jung wants to become a boxer, and Sekky is inclined toward excellence in school.
The fantasies and perceptions of each when they are young reveal wonderfully the struggles of kids to make sense of the adult world. Each has a different take on the grandmother’s belief in superstitions and ghosts and each finds a way to come to terms with bullies and discrimination in the society and at school. The whole family is affected profoundly by the war between Japan and China in the late 30’s and then by the onset of World War 2 at the end of the book. Like San Francisco, Vancouver had a large Japanese community which tragically came to be treated as enemies. As in The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a doomed romance between a Chinese and a Japanese teenager figures in the story, in this case as a dramatic focus that caps off a novel with a broader and more subtle overall scope.
July 15, 2025
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/ Published Before 2005
Part One: Jook-Liang, Only Sister
Please please please tell me this small child doesn't get sold into marriage with the crooked ugly man her grandmother's age. If so, I'm out.
This section ended abruptly. Maybe it was meant to.
Part Two: Jung-Sum, Second Brother
This child did not just name his turtle King George.
A-ha! A paper son. I won't get into the specifics of not learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act (and Japanese Internment) until I was an adult, but maybe I should.
Part Three: Sek-Lung, Third Brother
I didn't think I would like Sick Sekky's section as much as I did, but boy did it pack a punch. We've got liars, a bit of a colonizer romance, and a homemade abortion. Fun.
/ Published Before 2005
Part One: Jook-Liang, Only Sister
Please please please tell me this small child doesn't get sold into marriage with the crooked ugly man her grandmother's age. If so, I'm out.
This section ended abruptly. Maybe it was meant to.
Part Two: Jung-Sum, Second Brother
This child did not just name his turtle King George.
A-ha! A paper son. I won't get into the specifics of not learning about the Chinese Exclusion Act (and Japanese Internment) until I was an adult, but maybe I should.
Part Three: Sek-Lung, Third Brother
I didn't think I would like Sick Sekky's section as much as I did, but boy did it pack a punch. We've got liars, a bit of a colonizer romance, and a homemade abortion. Fun.
April 17, 2008
Set in Vancouver's Chinatown in the late 1930s and early 40s, The Jade Peony follows three children growing up in one family: Jook-Liang, the only sister; Jung-Sum, Second Brother and adopted; and Sek-Lung, Third Brother and sickly. This is a time when the Chinese who came to BC to work on the railway through the Rocky Mountains, paying the infamous Head Tax to do so, are the elders in the Chinatown society. Back home in China, the Japanese are steadily conquering land and reports of butchering and genocide create more than tension between the Chinese-Canadians and the Japanese-Canadians of Vancouver - exacerbated when the Japanese take Pearl Harbor and the Japanese-Canadians are rounded up and put into camps.
Against this landscape of poverty, fear, racism and anxiety the three children relate a few years each, times of joy and sorrow and family conflict. Jook-Liang becomes best friends with an old Chinese man who worked on the railway, who has crippled legs and looks like a monkey - prompting five-year-old Liang to believe he is the Monkey King of legend. They go to movies together and she tap-dances like Shirley Temple to his applause. Jung learns to box and finds himself with a growing, unwanted attraction toward wildboy Frank, and Sekky insists he can see his dead grandmother, Poh-Poh, and becomes the only confidant of his neighbour's adopted daughter Meiying's secret liason with a Japanese boy.
Written in the style of short stories, with grace, delicacy and a light touch, Choy opens up a period in Canada's history that the country is still ashamed of (only recently has the government committed to paying back the Chinese immigrants the illegal head tax), when people died because the white locals didn't rush to save them - they were "resident aliens", even if born here, and had almost no rights.
The new generation of Chinese-Canadians are caught betwixt old China ways and westernised Canada ways, kept to tradition with the older generations belief in their ability to one day return to China, while their children want nothing more than to be Canadian. This is something that continues today, sometimes with seriously damaging side-effects as children are torn between family tradition and a very different lifestyle.
I have to say, that I was won over from the beginning by Liang's absorption with the Monkey King. I grew up watching Monkey, with Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy, Horse and the beautiful priest Tripitaka (played by a woman, hence all the sexual tension between "him" and Monkey - yeah, we all wanted them to get it on ;), it was one of my favourite shows, and it was such a delight to find reference to the legend behind it here in this book.
The light and graceful quality of the prose, as well as moments of irony and humour, balanced out the darker undertones of the novel, including the sad ending. The setting and period felt very real, and it was great to be given the chance to understand and sympathise with a specific community like this, with all their flaws and faults, their generosity and acts of kindness, their determination and what drives them. It's also a great story, a slice of Canada's history opened-up, though I did struggle to keep up with the back-and-forth narrative, the non-linear timeline, which sometimes confused me.
Against this landscape of poverty, fear, racism and anxiety the three children relate a few years each, times of joy and sorrow and family conflict. Jook-Liang becomes best friends with an old Chinese man who worked on the railway, who has crippled legs and looks like a monkey - prompting five-year-old Liang to believe he is the Monkey King of legend. They go to movies together and she tap-dances like Shirley Temple to his applause. Jung learns to box and finds himself with a growing, unwanted attraction toward wildboy Frank, and Sekky insists he can see his dead grandmother, Poh-Poh, and becomes the only confidant of his neighbour's adopted daughter Meiying's secret liason with a Japanese boy.
Written in the style of short stories, with grace, delicacy and a light touch, Choy opens up a period in Canada's history that the country is still ashamed of (only recently has the government committed to paying back the Chinese immigrants the illegal head tax), when people died because the white locals didn't rush to save them - they were "resident aliens", even if born here, and had almost no rights.
The new generation of Chinese-Canadians are caught betwixt old China ways and westernised Canada ways, kept to tradition with the older generations belief in their ability to one day return to China, while their children want nothing more than to be Canadian. This is something that continues today, sometimes with seriously damaging side-effects as children are torn between family tradition and a very different lifestyle.
I have to say, that I was won over from the beginning by Liang's absorption with the Monkey King. I grew up watching Monkey, with Monkey, Pigsy, Sandy, Horse and the beautiful priest Tripitaka (played by a woman, hence all the sexual tension between "him" and Monkey - yeah, we all wanted them to get it on ;), it was one of my favourite shows, and it was such a delight to find reference to the legend behind it here in this book.
The light and graceful quality of the prose, as well as moments of irony and humour, balanced out the darker undertones of the novel, including the sad ending. The setting and period felt very real, and it was great to be given the chance to understand and sympathise with a specific community like this, with all their flaws and faults, their generosity and acts of kindness, their determination and what drives them. It's also a great story, a slice of Canada's history opened-up, though I did struggle to keep up with the back-and-forth narrative, the non-linear timeline, which sometimes confused me.
July 24, 2010
Much to my delight, I was randomly assigned to read and defend Wayson Choy’s The Jade Peony for a local Canada Reads gathering. It was meant to be: I had Wayson sign a copy of his 1995 novel for me just a few months ago when he was in Halifax for a reading of his most recent work, Not Yet: A Memoir of Living and Almost Dying, and The Jade Peony has for many years been high on my favourite books list.
The Jade Peony so eloquently combines the familiar with the unfamiliar. The universal themes of coming of age, forbidden love, sexuality, racism, death and jealousy intertwined with the mysteries of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the disgrace of being a girl-child, the hardships endured by the first Chinese immigrants, and the loss and suffering as a result of Canadian immigration policies of late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The book’s appeal is certainly in part due to the story being told through the eyes of children. The three young narrators straddle two worlds, old vs. new, east vs. west, and through their eyes we glimpse into the world of their Chinese born elders, filled with worry, secrets, symbols, ghosts, and magic, intertwined with a child’s world of Eaton’s dollhouses, Shirley Temple, Joe Louis and Tarzan. They are an “in-between” generation, sheltered in their Chinatown neighborhood, but with glimpses of life beyond their community boundaries.
This story centres around family. This is a somewhat cobbled together family, with a servant who is elevated to stepmother status (even to her own blood children, however), an adopted second brother, a Chinese-born first brother, two Canadian-born siblings, the family’s father and, most importantly, sharp-tongued Poh-Poh, the grandmotherly glue that binds everyone together. Nevertheless, it is a family, and in the inscription in my copy of The Jade Peony Wayson wrote “For Sara: Family is who loves you.”
If this novel isn't on every Canadian high school reading list, it ought to be. It is an opportunity to delve into an often overlooked Canadian experience through the eyes of young narrators who take us to places most of us have never been or could even imagine.
The Jade Peony so eloquently combines the familiar with the unfamiliar. The universal themes of coming of age, forbidden love, sexuality, racism, death and jealousy intertwined with the mysteries of Vancouver’s Chinatown, the disgrace of being a girl-child, the hardships endured by the first Chinese immigrants, and the loss and suffering as a result of Canadian immigration policies of late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The book’s appeal is certainly in part due to the story being told through the eyes of children. The three young narrators straddle two worlds, old vs. new, east vs. west, and through their eyes we glimpse into the world of their Chinese born elders, filled with worry, secrets, symbols, ghosts, and magic, intertwined with a child’s world of Eaton’s dollhouses, Shirley Temple, Joe Louis and Tarzan. They are an “in-between” generation, sheltered in their Chinatown neighborhood, but with glimpses of life beyond their community boundaries.
This story centres around family. This is a somewhat cobbled together family, with a servant who is elevated to stepmother status (even to her own blood children, however), an adopted second brother, a Chinese-born first brother, two Canadian-born siblings, the family’s father and, most importantly, sharp-tongued Poh-Poh, the grandmotherly glue that binds everyone together. Nevertheless, it is a family, and in the inscription in my copy of The Jade Peony Wayson wrote “For Sara: Family is who loves you.”
If this novel isn't on every Canadian high school reading list, it ought to be. It is an opportunity to delve into an often overlooked Canadian experience through the eyes of young narrators who take us to places most of us have never been or could even imagine.
February 1, 2020
Set in Vancouver, British Columbia, this novel follows four Chinese children and their experiences during World War II. I enjoyed this novel very much. Choy does a wonderful job relating the challenges Canadian born foreigners experienced during the war years.
April 10, 2009
Chinatown of the 1940's in Vancouver, three children of Chinese immigrant parents nurture dreams of making their own mark on the world around them. Jung-Sum is an adopted son who fights in the boxing ring and wrestles with uncertainty about his own sexual identity. Jook-Liang dreams of escaping the confines of tradition to become the next Shirley Temple, and Sekky, the youngest child, surprises the rest of the family with his own quiet wisdom." (Taken from the Editors).
As a born and bred Canadian and having lived here my entire life, I can only imagine what emigrating from another country must be like. It makes me wonder how I would deal with the langugage barrier, the differences in culture and tradition, observing and obeying the laws of the land and that of a society very different from the one I came from. But Wayson Choy makes my imagination come alive in this novel with well-written and carefully chosen words that make you feel a part of the story. I felt like I'd been transplanted back to 1940 Vacouver and could almost hear, see and smell the time of that era.
While the new family is trying to engraciate themselves into this new and modern life in Vancouver, their Grandmother Poh-Poh who lives with them, is stuck in her past in a country where she came to believe that the old ways, the world of ghosts, omens and superstition, and the ancient lore and sometimes complicated remedies for illness are the only way to live.
When reading this novel we have to remember that this family's story plays out during the the war which also brings more uncertainty and distrust to the newly arrived family. How do they recognize friends from enemies? How do they maintain their old ways and the culture of their homeland while trying to fit in and live peacefully in this new country? The children, as the younger generation, wants to forget about the old ways and welcome and embrace their new world with open arms, but the older generation is set in their ways and afraid to turn their back on the traditions and beliefs they were raised with.
"The Jade Peony" is a moving story of memory and loss, hardship and heartbreak, of reconciling the past with the future and is achingly real.
As a born and bred Canadian and having lived here my entire life, I can only imagine what emigrating from another country must be like. It makes me wonder how I would deal with the langugage barrier, the differences in culture and tradition, observing and obeying the laws of the land and that of a society very different from the one I came from. But Wayson Choy makes my imagination come alive in this novel with well-written and carefully chosen words that make you feel a part of the story. I felt like I'd been transplanted back to 1940 Vacouver and could almost hear, see and smell the time of that era.
While the new family is trying to engraciate themselves into this new and modern life in Vancouver, their Grandmother Poh-Poh who lives with them, is stuck in her past in a country where she came to believe that the old ways, the world of ghosts, omens and superstition, and the ancient lore and sometimes complicated remedies for illness are the only way to live.
When reading this novel we have to remember that this family's story plays out during the the war which also brings more uncertainty and distrust to the newly arrived family. How do they recognize friends from enemies? How do they maintain their old ways and the culture of their homeland while trying to fit in and live peacefully in this new country? The children, as the younger generation, wants to forget about the old ways and welcome and embrace their new world with open arms, but the older generation is set in their ways and afraid to turn their back on the traditions and beliefs they were raised with.
"The Jade Peony" is a moving story of memory and loss, hardship and heartbreak, of reconciling the past with the future and is achingly real.
March 8, 2010
Being an immigrant myself, who came to Canada in the '80's, I was interested in reading this book from a personal perspective. Choy paints a rather grim picture of Chinese immigrants in Canada in the 1930's: bachelor-men unable to bring their families across, deaths in labour camps built to construct the Canadian railway "from sea to shining sea", "resident alien" status with no hope of ultimate citizenship, second-class treatment during medical emergencies, immigrants relegated to ghettos (or Chinatowns - perhaps the segregation of immigrants is the genesis for a Chinatown and not the notion that Chinese like to hang out together).And yet by the 1980's, the mood for immigration was much more open and tolerant, and the new Chinese have enjoyed much success in this country. I am glad that Choy captured this moment in time to remind us how far we have progressed as a nation.
The perspective of a child is always a clever device to employ, especially when the adult world is the focus. This view distorts our adult imperfections, it sees beauty behind physical infirmities (as in the case of seven-year old First Sister Jook Leong's attachment to the deformed Monkey King), it does not comprehend illogical adult actions (eight-year old Sek Lung's struggle to understand the secret adult whispers and the tragic result of Meying's romance with the taboo Japanese boy Kaz), and it fears the budding appetites in their emerging adult bodies (Second Brother Jung Sum's fearful discovery of his attraction to Frank, the young boxer, in the heat of a fight).We also see the impact of war on the young: First Brother Kiam wants to join the Canadian army even though he does not qualify as a resident alien; Sek Lung practises war games with his toys and is an expert on military strategy; and Japanese immigrant kids are suddenly considered "the enemy". Only Miss Doyle, the school teacher, treats all her students equally, perhaps a symbol of the Canada to come, even though she exerts military discipline in class, and reads aloud the letters of her dead brother who was blown up while trying to save lives.
Also brought into sharp focus is the superstition and cruelty of the old world that is never quite left behind. Grandma Poh Poh was an abused child, is unable to display affection, openly proclaiming that girls are "nothing", until Third Brother Sek Lung (he with the sick lungs - a play of words here?) is born and becomes her “baby”; the bed-wetting Jung Sum discovers his birth mother murdered by his father in Kamloops, and finds his sensuality awakened only when he gets a beating at the hands of his mentor Frank; the ghosts that are supposed to roam the neighbourhood in China also inhabit Sek Lung when he sees his dead grandmother during various "incidents". And yet the children want to be Canadian while their parents tread the half-and half world of the immigrant and grandma Poh-Poh will always be Chinese.
There is some predictability in the end, especially as this book is set in Vancouver. We Canadian's are unable to escape the collective guilt for incarcerating our Japanese immigrant community during the war, and much has been written on this subject. And sure enough, Choy zeroes on this event for his climax, in an otherwise episodic book. The interesting twist is that "the Japanese incident" is viewed from a Chinese perspective and, for a change, the Chinese, the Canadians and the Americans are allies, for they had all been invaded by "those Japs". The children seem to understand this part of adult logic, which frightens me, and makes me wonder if we adult Canadians were behaving like kids during the Japanese incarceration? Was this Choy's ultimate message that seems to get lost amidst all the other mini stories that make up this very easily readable and fluidly written book?
The perspective of a child is always a clever device to employ, especially when the adult world is the focus. This view distorts our adult imperfections, it sees beauty behind physical infirmities (as in the case of seven-year old First Sister Jook Leong's attachment to the deformed Monkey King), it does not comprehend illogical adult actions (eight-year old Sek Lung's struggle to understand the secret adult whispers and the tragic result of Meying's romance with the taboo Japanese boy Kaz), and it fears the budding appetites in their emerging adult bodies (Second Brother Jung Sum's fearful discovery of his attraction to Frank, the young boxer, in the heat of a fight).We also see the impact of war on the young: First Brother Kiam wants to join the Canadian army even though he does not qualify as a resident alien; Sek Lung practises war games with his toys and is an expert on military strategy; and Japanese immigrant kids are suddenly considered "the enemy". Only Miss Doyle, the school teacher, treats all her students equally, perhaps a symbol of the Canada to come, even though she exerts military discipline in class, and reads aloud the letters of her dead brother who was blown up while trying to save lives.
Also brought into sharp focus is the superstition and cruelty of the old world that is never quite left behind. Grandma Poh Poh was an abused child, is unable to display affection, openly proclaiming that girls are "nothing", until Third Brother Sek Lung (he with the sick lungs - a play of words here?) is born and becomes her “baby”; the bed-wetting Jung Sum discovers his birth mother murdered by his father in Kamloops, and finds his sensuality awakened only when he gets a beating at the hands of his mentor Frank; the ghosts that are supposed to roam the neighbourhood in China also inhabit Sek Lung when he sees his dead grandmother during various "incidents". And yet the children want to be Canadian while their parents tread the half-and half world of the immigrant and grandma Poh-Poh will always be Chinese.
There is some predictability in the end, especially as this book is set in Vancouver. We Canadian's are unable to escape the collective guilt for incarcerating our Japanese immigrant community during the war, and much has been written on this subject. And sure enough, Choy zeroes on this event for his climax, in an otherwise episodic book. The interesting twist is that "the Japanese incident" is viewed from a Chinese perspective and, for a change, the Chinese, the Canadians and the Americans are allies, for they had all been invaded by "those Japs". The children seem to understand this part of adult logic, which frightens me, and makes me wonder if we adult Canadians were behaving like kids during the Japanese incarceration? Was this Choy's ultimate message that seems to get lost amidst all the other mini stories that make up this very easily readable and fluidly written book?
November 20, 2011
“Lyrical and moving” the opening words of the blurb for this book and I don’t think I can say it much better. This is one of those all too rare novels that truly transports you to another time and place, immerses you into a culture and a life experience that is far from your own. So much so that finishing it is rather a rude awakening.
The story is set in immigrant Vancouver, Chinatown in the 1940’s. In the family home of three generations of a Chinese family, we meet the matriarchal grandmother, the worried and put upon parents and the children, through the eyes of whom the story is told. Three of the children tell their tales in the three different sections of the book as they try to cope with growing up as Chinese and Canadian, being of the old world and the new, being both and yet neither.
The first to narrate is Liang the only daughter who struggles with her dreams of fame and film stardom alongside the loss of a childhood friend, mentor and hero. Overshadowing her life is the constant reminder by her grandmother that she is -as a girl child, useless to her family.
Jung the second to speak, the adopted second son of the family trains to be a boxer whilst repressing memories of his first family and trying to live up to his elder brother’s example whilst coming to terms with his extremes of otherness.
Sek- Lung is the last to speak and perhaps the most moving. The youngest son and a weakling from birth, he documents the worlds decent into war and his palpable urge to be a part of the fighting. He plays his war games with unceasing resolve as his parents worry and cry over the fate of their people half the world away and try to stop their eldest son from joining the fight.
Sek –Lung lives in a simple world of school and play, where people fit neatly into the roles of good guys and bad, friends and enemies until he witnesses a beloved family friend and babysitter fraternising with the ‘enemy’ a Japanese boy. His boundaries blur as he gets to know the person beneath the appearance and tries to make sense of his newfound knowledge whilst protecting his friend.
The novel raises many issues of otherness, of third generation immigrants who are yet expected to adhere to the rules and superstitions of a land they’ve never been to, of neighbours who must hate and ignore each other, of the pressures we put on our children. It’s a thought provoking beautifully written novel.
The story is set in immigrant Vancouver, Chinatown in the 1940’s. In the family home of three generations of a Chinese family, we meet the matriarchal grandmother, the worried and put upon parents and the children, through the eyes of whom the story is told. Three of the children tell their tales in the three different sections of the book as they try to cope with growing up as Chinese and Canadian, being of the old world and the new, being both and yet neither.
The first to narrate is Liang the only daughter who struggles with her dreams of fame and film stardom alongside the loss of a childhood friend, mentor and hero. Overshadowing her life is the constant reminder by her grandmother that she is -as a girl child, useless to her family.
Jung the second to speak, the adopted second son of the family trains to be a boxer whilst repressing memories of his first family and trying to live up to his elder brother’s example whilst coming to terms with his extremes of otherness.
Sek- Lung is the last to speak and perhaps the most moving. The youngest son and a weakling from birth, he documents the worlds decent into war and his palpable urge to be a part of the fighting. He plays his war games with unceasing resolve as his parents worry and cry over the fate of their people half the world away and try to stop their eldest son from joining the fight.
Sek –Lung lives in a simple world of school and play, where people fit neatly into the roles of good guys and bad, friends and enemies until he witnesses a beloved family friend and babysitter fraternising with the ‘enemy’ a Japanese boy. His boundaries blur as he gets to know the person beneath the appearance and tries to make sense of his newfound knowledge whilst protecting his friend.
The novel raises many issues of otherness, of third generation immigrants who are yet expected to adhere to the rules and superstitions of a land they’ve never been to, of neighbours who must hate and ignore each other, of the pressures we put on our children. It’s a thought provoking beautifully written novel.
July 26, 2014
Finally finished (dramatic ending!), but I still can't figure out what it is about this book - there is no high-suspense plot, no huge character dramas for the most part, no adventure or quest or conflict propelling the book, but I can't put it down! Really interesting cultural study, with great detail!
The first, and shortest, section with Liang is my favourite, the last one with Kiam was my second-favourite. I didn't like the Jung stories much.
I still wonder why did he leave out first brother Kiam? At first I thought it was because he was going to die, which he didn't. Second, I thought it was because the children show the difference between Canadian-Chinatown life vs. Poh-Poh's Old China life, and Kiam was very traditional so he wouldn't show the contrast. However, by the end of the book he is countering his parents, showing them science vs. old herbal remedies. So I'd still like to find out why.
ETA: He wrote a sequel with Kiam's story in it called All that Matters.
The first, and shortest, section with Liang is my favourite, the last one with Kiam was my second-favourite. I didn't like the Jung stories much.
I still wonder why did he leave out first brother Kiam? At first I thought it was because he was going to die, which he didn't. Second, I thought it was because the children show the difference between Canadian-Chinatown life vs. Poh-Poh's Old China life, and Kiam was very traditional so he wouldn't show the contrast. However, by the end of the book he is countering his parents, showing them science vs. old herbal remedies. So I'd still like to find out why.
ETA: He wrote a sequel with Kiam's story in it called All that Matters.
November 29, 2018
Meh-I’ve read worse, but there was no plot and the writing was stilted. Reminded me of “The House on Mango Street”-Vignettes of immigrant life that get bound up into a novel but is really just a batch of short stories about the same batch of people. I do appreciate the unflattering take on the Chinese community in Vancouver circa WWII-good to know Canadians dealt with some of the same things their southern neighbors dealt with-and might have done as crappy a job as we did:)
February 26, 2010
If your local library is ever selling about three boxes full of the same book for 10 cents a piece there is a reason. I thought this book would be at least semi-interesting because it takes place in Chinatown of Vancouver area which is familiar to me. That's some hours and ten cents of my life I'll never get back.
October 31, 2025
Chinatown Vancouver. Early 1940's. A blended family. A complex clash of cultures. Rising animosity against Canadians of Japanese ancestry.
Those factors define much of what this book is about. It might easily have become predictable and tiresome to read, were it not for Wayson Choy's astonishing ability to get inside the consciousness and imagination of each of his characters, especially including a five-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy.
Sek-Lung, spoiled and misbehaving, has been sent off to be baby-sat by an older widow in the neighborhood. Haunted by his over-active imagination and fears, he approaches her rickety cliff-top dwelling:
"I started climbing, carefully, one step after another. I tried not to look down. Tried not to shake the staircase. It trembled and quaked under my feet. The chains clanked. I thought about how it must have felt to be pushed over the porch railing, like the Jamieson brother, and hear your neck snap...
I have to do this every school day, I thought, bitterly. I glanced up just in time to see Mrs. Lim on the porch, turning around and ambling back into the shack. The front screen door slammed. I knew what torture she had in store for me: ten thousand Chinese sayings to memorize...
Mrs Lim had a secret button that her pudgy thumb would press underneath the porch, instantly a spring would trip and send me soaring. I saw my body pitching skyward, flying plane-less to the bottom of the escarpment."
Brilliant!
Those factors define much of what this book is about. It might easily have become predictable and tiresome to read, were it not for Wayson Choy's astonishing ability to get inside the consciousness and imagination of each of his characters, especially including a five-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy.
Sek-Lung, spoiled and misbehaving, has been sent off to be baby-sat by an older widow in the neighborhood. Haunted by his over-active imagination and fears, he approaches her rickety cliff-top dwelling:
"I started climbing, carefully, one step after another. I tried not to look down. Tried not to shake the staircase. It trembled and quaked under my feet. The chains clanked. I thought about how it must have felt to be pushed over the porch railing, like the Jamieson brother, and hear your neck snap...
I have to do this every school day, I thought, bitterly. I glanced up just in time to see Mrs. Lim on the porch, turning around and ambling back into the shack. The front screen door slammed. I knew what torture she had in store for me: ten thousand Chinese sayings to memorize...
Mrs Lim had a secret button that her pudgy thumb would press underneath the porch, instantly a spring would trip and send me soaring. I saw my body pitching skyward, flying plane-less to the bottom of the escarpment."
Brilliant!
May 20, 2010
In a word: beautiful. I absolutely loved The Jade Peony. Wayson Choy (yay Canadian author!) tells the story of an immigrant Chinese family who come to Vancouver in the 1930s, as the conflict between Japan and China in the East, and Canada, Britain, et al and Germany in the West heats up.
I loved this book for many reasons. First and foremost, Choy writes stunningly. His prose is lyrical and the stories that he tells are deeply moving. The family's story is told through the perspectives of three of the children, and each one is touching in a different way.
I began this book while sitting at the Vancouver airport, so it was fun to read a book set in the same city, decades earlier.
This was one of my book club's book selections, and I'm pleased to say that almost everyone seemed to feel as positively about the book as I did.
Bottom line - read it. You'll get swept up in the family's story and learn some fascinating parts of Canada's history while you're at it.
I loved this book for many reasons. First and foremost, Choy writes stunningly. His prose is lyrical and the stories that he tells are deeply moving. The family's story is told through the perspectives of three of the children, and each one is touching in a different way.
I began this book while sitting at the Vancouver airport, so it was fun to read a book set in the same city, decades earlier.
This was one of my book club's book selections, and I'm pleased to say that almost everyone seemed to feel as positively about the book as I did.
Bottom line - read it. You'll get swept up in the family's story and learn some fascinating parts of Canada's history while you're at it.
June 10, 2018
This book is written from the perspective of three Chinese-Canadian siblings during the 1930s and 1940s. I really enjoyed the first part of the book, from the perspective of the daughter. To me, it showcased the life of a Chinese daughter growing up in that time period and contrasted it with the life of a more desirable son.
I found the last two parts to be less interesting, and then ending wasn't really much of an ending.
Perhaps I am a bit more critical of this book as I have recently read some really amazing books set in the same time period?
I found the last two parts to be less interesting, and then ending wasn't really much of an ending.
Perhaps I am a bit more critical of this book as I have recently read some really amazing books set in the same time period?
May 31, 2017
It's more like a 3.5/5. The story moves slowly but really picks up at the end when (most of) it comes together. I found the three different perspectives to be a very effective way to tell the story. I would call it a quiet story where people have loud interiors, if that makes sense. I learned a lot about the Chinese Canadian experience from reading this, and it piqued my interest to learn more.
October 27, 2017
The story of an immigrant family during WWII in Chinatown, Vancouver, BC. Told through the eyes of three of the children. I enjoyed this book and found it an interesting perspective on how immigrants sometimes feel isolated and not an accepted part of their new Country.
February 1, 2022
m3 english trauma.
March 23, 2019
I feel like this book was slow to come into itself. I liked each section more than the last and maybe would have preferred to just read Sekky's part as a stand-alone novella. While Jook-Liang's relationship with Wong Bak introduced me to the myth of the Monkey King and the way Chinese families could be structured, I feel like I only appreciated and understood the culture in Sekky's story. The bai sen after Po-Po's death was so much richer and I really wish Stepmother had gained some agency and personality before page 290. While I realize both those things could only happen once she was the family matriarch, it still added to the feeling that this book wasn't completely sure what it wanted to be. It was otherwise beautiful, heartbreaking and fascinating. As my own grandfather grew up in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver (the larger area that contained Chinatown, Japantown and both the shopping and "bad" parts of Hastings Street) around the same time, this brought me back to some of the stories of his youth. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants to learn more about Vancouver's history, as well as the tension of not quite existing in either the old or new homelands felt by so many children of immigrants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2021
2.5 stars :/
I was really excited about this book. It was covering a topic i never read in fiction and I’m always interested in reading canadian stories. But this novel felt unremarkable. I liked the first section with the only daughter and her relationship with the old man.... but even that one got repetitive, and kinda dragged on. Ugh, I’m really disappointed, I wanted to like it more
I was really excited about this book. It was covering a topic i never read in fiction and I’m always interested in reading canadian stories. But this novel felt unremarkable. I liked the first section with the only daughter and her relationship with the old man.... but even that one got repetitive, and kinda dragged on. Ugh, I’m really disappointed, I wanted to like it more
November 2, 2022
The story of a Chinese immigrant family living in Vancouver in the 1930's leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. It is told from the point of view of each of the three youngest children who were born in Canada. The children are quite young as they tell their stories, and the language and point of view are reflective of that youth.
October 13, 2024
If I could give this book zero stars I would. It was honestly one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. I have never had such a hard time reading a book…until now. This book cost me hours of my life, that I will never get back.
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September 4, 2019This was a wonderful book. It opened a whole new view of the Chinese Canadian experience.
I plan to read his other books as soon as I can.
I plan to read his other books as soon as I can.
August 29, 2021
This has been on my “I should really read this pile” for a long time. I’m glad I finally got around to it. It’s a beautiful story.
May 22, 2019
This is a lovely book of connected short stories that immerses you perfectly into the complex world of Vancouver's Chinatown of the 1940s. Each of the "main" characters and the secondary characters contributes something unique to the reader's understanding of the Chinese-Canadian experience. Beautifully written.
January 5, 2016
With his debut novel The Jade Peony, author Wayson Choy allows us a glimpse into the life of a Chinese immigrant family living in Vancouver’s Chinatown, spanning from the 1930s to the 1940s. The story is told through the perspective of three of the four children of that family – Jook-Liang, the only sister who curses the fact that she is regarded as useless because she is a girl and aspires to be an actress; Jung-Sum, the adopted brother who wants to be a professional boxer and struggles with his sexuality; Sek-Lung, the youngest brother, who witnesses his babysitter having a relationship with a Japanese boy during the start of the Second World War.
I thought it was very interesting in how Choy provided the reader with an accurate view of how the life of the Chinese immigrants in Vancouver went in those years. It was a tough life in which the immigrants had to deal with economic hardships, discrimination (casually on the streets but also through actual Canadian laws), and eventually a World War in which their Japanese immigrant neighbours would soon become their enemies. And then there’s also the clash of family elders trying to preserve their culture while their children and grandchildren are becoming more and more accepting of the Canadian ways.
Telling the story through three different first person perspectives was a good move, too – it feels like you get to know the three siblings wholly, faults and flaws and good traits all rolled into one. One presence is felt strongly throughout the entire book, though the three children all view her differently: Poh-Poh, their traditional grandmother, who keeps the Chinese beliefs, traditions, and ghost stories alive. It is her pink jade pendant that the title refers to.
It was a pity that the story of the eldest brother, Kiam-Kim, the son of the father’s first wife and the only one to have been born in China, was missing. It might have made for a more complete book and served as a conclusion to the siblings’ stories, but I later found out that Choy has dedicated an entire book to Kiam-Kim’s life story, All That Matters, but I haven’t read it yet.
Choy’s prose and choice of words is adequate to the story, nothing especially noteworthy but the subtleness of it fits the story he wants to tell – a glimpse into the life, nothing more, nothing less. Something to stress the importance and relevancy of what the Chinese immigrants in Canada went through, which is often enough overlooked in history. His characters are memorable, but something was missing from the book that really tied the three siblings’ stories together, save for the presence of their grandmother. Each of their stories ended abruptly, and there was no thread to link them all. It felt unfinished and not as complete as it could have been; even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Recommended for those who enjoy stories about exploring characters first and foremost, and people looking for an accurate and humbling account of the life of Chinese immigrants in the 30s and 40s in Vancouver, Canada.
I thought it was very interesting in how Choy provided the reader with an accurate view of how the life of the Chinese immigrants in Vancouver went in those years. It was a tough life in which the immigrants had to deal with economic hardships, discrimination (casually on the streets but also through actual Canadian laws), and eventually a World War in which their Japanese immigrant neighbours would soon become their enemies. And then there’s also the clash of family elders trying to preserve their culture while their children and grandchildren are becoming more and more accepting of the Canadian ways.
Telling the story through three different first person perspectives was a good move, too – it feels like you get to know the three siblings wholly, faults and flaws and good traits all rolled into one. One presence is felt strongly throughout the entire book, though the three children all view her differently: Poh-Poh, their traditional grandmother, who keeps the Chinese beliefs, traditions, and ghost stories alive. It is her pink jade pendant that the title refers to.
It was a pity that the story of the eldest brother, Kiam-Kim, the son of the father’s first wife and the only one to have been born in China, was missing. It might have made for a more complete book and served as a conclusion to the siblings’ stories, but I later found out that Choy has dedicated an entire book to Kiam-Kim’s life story, All That Matters, but I haven’t read it yet.
Choy’s prose and choice of words is adequate to the story, nothing especially noteworthy but the subtleness of it fits the story he wants to tell – a glimpse into the life, nothing more, nothing less. Something to stress the importance and relevancy of what the Chinese immigrants in Canada went through, which is often enough overlooked in history. His characters are memorable, but something was missing from the book that really tied the three siblings’ stories together, save for the presence of their grandmother. Each of their stories ended abruptly, and there was no thread to link them all. It felt unfinished and not as complete as it could have been; even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Recommended for those who enjoy stories about exploring characters first and foremost, and people looking for an accurate and humbling account of the life of Chinese immigrants in the 30s and 40s in Vancouver, Canada.
January 30, 2018
I had a hard time deciding whether to rate this one at 3 or 4, but finally settled on 3. I liked it but I didn't love it. I do think it's an interesting read though and I would recommend it to almost anyone.
The writing is lovely and I really enjoyed seeing some major Canadian historical events through the eyes of Chinese immigrants - railroad construction and the creation of Canada, changing policies around immigration, the Depression in the 30's, and the First World War in the 40's. The way the story flowed between events in Vancouver and the traditions and stories of Old China was great. The depiction of the immigrant experience and the differences in identity between those who immigrated and the next generations born in the new country was engaging and realistic - I think that the story really did justice to the push and pull of identity and the conflict that people feel between maintaining one's heritage and trying to fit in with the dominant society.
Wayson Choy breaks the book into 3 sections, each narrated by a different child in the family - Jook-Liang (only sister), Jung-Sum (second brother), and Sek-Lung (third brother). I liked each of the children and appreciated the opportunity to see the family through their eyes, but it was difficult to make the transition from story to story. I would just really start getting into one of the narrators' perspectives and feeling the story start to flow...and then it would end. I found that a difficult aspect of this book because I ended up having to almost start from scratch at the beginning of each new narrative section. Each child's story also ends with loss and, even though loss is a standard part of a coming-of-age story, I found it difficult experiencing it three times in one book.
Ultimately, although it took me awhile to see it, I think the story does have a narrative arc centered around the family changing, particularly in regards to the women in the family. At the beginning of the book, Step-Mother has a subservient and almost inconsequential role while Poh-Poh (the grandmother) is the head of the house-hold. But by the end of the book Step-Mother becomes Mother and assumes the central female role in the house-hold. I particularly liked how Wayson Choy used the jade peony as a symbol for this transformation, as well as using the jade peony throughout the narrative as a means of cohesively linking together the Old China and Vancouver Chinatown experiences.
The writing is lovely and I really enjoyed seeing some major Canadian historical events through the eyes of Chinese immigrants - railroad construction and the creation of Canada, changing policies around immigration, the Depression in the 30's, and the First World War in the 40's. The way the story flowed between events in Vancouver and the traditions and stories of Old China was great. The depiction of the immigrant experience and the differences in identity between those who immigrated and the next generations born in the new country was engaging and realistic - I think that the story really did justice to the push and pull of identity and the conflict that people feel between maintaining one's heritage and trying to fit in with the dominant society.
Wayson Choy breaks the book into 3 sections, each narrated by a different child in the family - Jook-Liang (only sister), Jung-Sum (second brother), and Sek-Lung (third brother). I liked each of the children and appreciated the opportunity to see the family through their eyes, but it was difficult to make the transition from story to story. I would just really start getting into one of the narrators' perspectives and feeling the story start to flow...and then it would end. I found that a difficult aspect of this book because I ended up having to almost start from scratch at the beginning of each new narrative section. Each child's story also ends with loss and, even though loss is a standard part of a coming-of-age story, I found it difficult experiencing it three times in one book.
Ultimately, although it took me awhile to see it, I think the story does have a narrative arc centered around the family changing, particularly in regards to the women in the family. At the beginning of the book, Step-Mother has a subservient and almost inconsequential role while Poh-Poh (the grandmother) is the head of the house-hold. But by the end of the book Step-Mother becomes Mother and assumes the central female role in the house-hold. I particularly liked how Wayson Choy used the jade peony as a symbol for this transformation, as well as using the jade peony throughout the narrative as a means of cohesively linking together the Old China and Vancouver Chinatown experiences.
January 20, 2017
This book was heartbreaking and beautiful. It explores the complex family dynamics of an immigrant Chinese family in Vancouver. It's fascinating to think about how a lot of Chinese families in North America were actually "blended families" before that was a term. Due to the difficulties Chinese people had in immigrating to North America bc of anti-Asian sentiment, many people were "paper sons"--related to their sponsoring family only by thin lies and forged paperwork.
The book is broken up into three parts--each told from the point of view of a different character. I really loved the first part, told by Jook-Liang, the only sister in the family. I loved her relationship with Wong Suk, a family friend, who is an older man. She thinks he is the Monkey King. Their friendship is very touching and sweet.
The second part is about adopted second brother Jung-Sum. His story was really heartbreaking, as he struggles to understand and reconcile both his sexuality and his traumatic childhood.
Toxic masculinity really come thru in the second and third parts of the book. It was scary to read third brother Sekky's story and realized how obsessed he is with violence and war.
I learned a lot and realized that sadly, Japanese people in Canada were treated very similarly to Japanese people in the States. Overall a great book, altho I was fairly turned off by the character in the last section of the book.
The book is broken up into three parts--each told from the point of view of a different character. I really loved the first part, told by Jook-Liang, the only sister in the family. I loved her relationship with Wong Suk, a family friend, who is an older man. She thinks he is the Monkey King. Their friendship is very touching and sweet.
The second part is about adopted second brother Jung-Sum. His story was really heartbreaking, as he struggles to understand and reconcile both his sexuality and his traumatic childhood.
Toxic masculinity really come thru in the second and third parts of the book. It was scary to read third brother Sekky's story and realized how obsessed he is with violence and war.
I learned a lot and realized that sadly, Japanese people in Canada were treated very similarly to Japanese people in the States. Overall a great book, altho I was fairly turned off by the character in the last section of the book.
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