Hollow Bamboo: A Novel

by William Seto Ping

AMAZON FIRST NOVEL AWARD SHORTLIST

THOMAS RADDALL ATLANTIC FICTION AWARD SHORTLIST

BMO WINTERSET AWARD SHORTLIST

DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD LONGLIST

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE TELEGRAM AND WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

The hilarious and heartbreaking story of two William Pings in Newfoundland—the lost millennial and the grandfather he knows nothing about

William Ping’s millennial life revolves around eating at restaurants, posting online about eating at restaurants, then overanalyzing it. This changes unexpectedly when a dinner with his Chinese girlfriend’s family goes sideways and his insecurity about his biracial identity and his ignorance of his own Chinese heritage overflow. During a much-needed break from the dinner table, Will is visited in the men’s room by a sarcastic, bullying spirit named Mo. The spirit whisks him into the past to learn about the life of his grandfather, the first William Ping, who emigrated from China to Newfoundland in 1931 to work in a laundry.

Based on a true story, Hollow Bamboo recounts with humour and sympathy the often-brutal struggles, and occasional successes, faced by some of the first Chinese immigrants in Newfoundland. It is a journey of heartbreak, sacrifice, brotherhood and family ties. But most of all, it is about love and survival on the Rock.

Drawing on elements of magical realism, autofiction and satire, as well as deep historical research, Hollow Bamboo is a fresh and original portrayal of our past and our present, and the debut of an extraordinary new author.

Genres: Fiction, Canada, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical, Asian Literature, Audiobook

447 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 21, 2023

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly dazzled by this book! So dazzled that it has motivated me to finally make an account here (though I had been lurking and reading reviews on here for years). I had never heard of this book before I saw that bright (almost garish) cover standing out on a table at the bookstore last week. I quickly searched it on my phone, though I was surprised to see not much talk of the book. This, despite the publisher. I couldn't even find the book on HarperCollins social media accounts. Like some character in a Lovecraft book, I felt as though I found a forgotten text from another world.
And in a way, I had! The novel tells the story of a millennial named William Ping (ostensibly the author) who accidentally summons a ghost and time travels to secretly watch his grandfather's life. There's a lot to consider here in a metafictional postmodern way, though I think Ping's ambitions are grander than just some autofiction send-up (though no doubt he is both satirically poking at that nascent genre while earnestly contributing to it). The real world Ping would seem to be acknowledging the privilege he carries in writing the story in this section. Without getting into spoilers, soon our perspective shifts in this novel, providing one of the funniest and honestly most shocking twists I've encountered in some time. This transition is also pretty clearly Ping's way of refuting a certain zinger-based style of contemporary storytelling. He rejects the insincere, irony-based culture which has dominated the contemporary era in favor of a return to a more classical, sincere style. Of course, describing it like this makes the book sound stuffy, but Ping makes it feel as if you're eating a bag of popcorn and watching a great old movie unfold. It's a funny book, not just throughout the first section but throughout the entire book (unlike what some other reviews on here say). Characters like Shaowei, Ethel and Reverend Riley keep the laughs going through the entire story. But Ping also somehow completes the tightrope walk he set up for himself here: a funny book that also provides an honest and sobering look at the anti-Asian racism that has defined Western society to this very day. Ping doesn't let anyone off the hook here. He doesn't relegate racism to a bygone past, he ensures that we know this is a vital, ongoing problem. And despite all these high-minded concepts, Ping still delivers an entertaining story, a will-they-won't-they romance, crime thrills, and a fascinating character arc for his grandfather (and a great villain in Richards! I could've read a hundred more pages of that guy).
Seeing as no one else is talking about this, I guess I'll be the first to speculate on the meaning of some repeated imagery. Many chapters feature animals who are in places they shouldn't be, giant squids in bathtubs or bears beneath bars and so on. In all of these cases, it is the forces of Western capitalism that have removed the animal from nature. Later in the novel, the character Ping acknowledges a similar animal ownership in his own life, a revelation that is almost a throwaway gag line, but a devastating revelation as it shows that maybe grandfather Ping has learned the wrong lessons from his journey to the west.
Another thing to note would be the ghost, Mo. The Wikipedia page for a Chinese zoology Mo tells an unbelievable tale of mistranslation that I'm sure must've influenced Ping's writing here. It's quite clever, as is how Mo always apparates out of some form of media or media-related device. It seems Ping is showing how the media can twist and shape our understanding of history and ourselves, a reading which especially seems true given that ambiguous ending.
Hollow Bamboo is a deceptively layered text while also being so, so enjoyable and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

[Gabby Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not pleased with myself to admit that I knew nothing of the Chinese immigrant experience to Newfoundland before reading this book. While horrific, the author manages to make you want to keep reading, to find out how the story ends, despite the discomfort (especially as a privileged, white reader).

The author says it best in his note that this is not just a story of racism yesteryear, “it is a story of us all struggling with how precarious justice and equity are to this day”.

[Laurie • The Baking Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS - Loosely based on the author's family, this is a fictional tale about the author's grandfather's life - his beginnings in China and his subsequent move to Newfoundland where he struggled to fit in with the culture, language and faced much discrimination.

The book is said to be 'hilarious' but besides the initial scene of the family dinner that millennial William Ping attends with his girlfriend's family, I found this book to be much more of a historical fiction read. It also includes a unique mythological beastie who guides Ping into the past, allowing him to witness his grandfather's (also named William Ping) journey from his family home in China to Newfoundland in the 1930's. Within Grandfather Ping's story, readers see the struggles he faced as an immigrant - the xenophobia, racism, limitations put upon Chinese immigrants by the Canadian government and the struggles these Chinese immigrants had with language and cultural identity. It was this part of the story that I found most compelling and eye-opening.

This book isn't the type of book I'd typically read, and it became a very different book than I had expected but I enjoyed getting a look at Newfoundlander culture and the beginnings of its Chinese community. I also liked the odd supernatural Mo creature and the humour in the initial scene, but I would have loved for the story to return to that fateful supper with Ping's girlfriend to frame the historical fiction parts of the book.

Through the two William Pings, readers witness what life was like for Newfoundland's initial Chinese immigrants, their sacrifices, struggles, bonds, and hard-earned successes as well as how some of the issues of racism and cultural identity still prevail with their millennial family members almost 100 years later.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to HarperCollins Canada for the complimentary copy which was sent in exchange for my honest review. #paidad #sponsored #ad

[Stitching Ghost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started pretty strong (the second-hand cringe and embarrassment was entirely on another level), then it got really good but then proceeded to get a bit dry and slow before picking up again at the end. It broke my heart a couple of times.

[Charlene Carr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoroughly engrossing and original read that, as well as being entertaining, informative, and delightfully funny, explores the complexities of housing both the blood of the oppressors and the oppressed in one's veins.

[Maya 維欣 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm… lots to ponder with this one. 3.5 stars feels a little truer but I’m a chronically generous reader.

I think, at times, this book seeks to be something it is not, and while I can appreciate the author’s intent with narratively constructing his positionality, I find myself wishing he would have been just a little more bold.

The defensive narrative approach resonated with me as someone who also has a split Euro/Chinese heritage, but that being said, it could’ve been a more cathartic experience had Ping stuck to his guns. “Who am I to tell this story?” he allegedly asked himself. Ugh, EYE ROLL. Like, tell whatever you want!! This book is excruciatingly steeped in Canadian guilt and politeness, and yet also horrifyingly blunt?? Gotta love a dichotomy. I mean I guess this is a truly millennial novel just for that.

Regardless, a smart, thought-provoking book with a lot packed into it, and SO effing funny… at times so blatantly, irreverently funny it was almost Eden Robinson-esque. I read it in two sittings and had horrible nightmares in the interlude between. SLAY!!!

[Isak · Rating 3 out of 5]

hard start but enjoyable

[Fraser Simons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A semi autobiographical historical fiction with comedic elements—only during the contemporary time period—is usually a bit of a hard sell for me, but the excellent flow and clear writing made this go by super fast.

William Ping is having a Very awkward dinner with his girlfriends Chinese-Canadian family, of which there are a few generations. Ping himself is third generation and is more white than Chinese. He’s confused about his identity and obviously hasn’t really dig into it until questions are posed to him directly, with his privilege with the wait staff and his ignorance of his grandfather and the impact he’s had on the community.

Then stuff gets pretty wild. He goes to the washroom and has a… mishap? The result of which a, I’m guessing Chinese folkloric/mythological creature that kind of acts like the ghost of Christmas past ends up hurtling him into his grandparents actual history. This begins the chronicling of the grandparent and the mystery of the letter, which is the bulk of the novel. And which pretty much ceases the millennial comedic beats as it’s subsumed by a new first person narrator.

It’s an interesting concept and I think the recounting of Real Canadian history from an immigrant is fascinating. It’s also very relevant to today, as the author mentions in their note at the end. Anti-Chinese, as well as other racism, is on the high end and only seems to get worse. I think this story does a good job of telling it how it was, grounded in lots of research the author did.

Only slightly does it falter. It is genre fiction, and I prefer a bit more weight to prose work, and the through line with the letter makes sense, but it seems to imply William need to do something with it beyond realizing it’s origins, and that never happens (unless I missed it?). Also, William has his lesson and there’s a bookend, but I was expecting the B plot that’s introduced with the girlfriend and parents and all that to have a different kind of bow tied onto it. In these ways it does feel like a debut novel, but it’s one I will certainly recommend and definitely enjoyed.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book really resonated with me since I have a similar background to the author. It tells an important part of history, and it's completely heartbreaking at the same time. The future side takes place at a time, in 2020 when the anti-asian sentiment was at an all time high, and my mom told me that I was lucky to look completely white. This book made me laugh and cry and I felt transported to the author's grandfathers time. A great read for anyone looking for an in-depth look at chinese canadian history.

[Deifilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened as an audiobook and I don't think it added to the experience, although it was a captivating story. This is a strong 3.5 stars - it begins with a modern quarter-chinese Canadian's man's questions about his identity and connection to his past. He is infuriatingly immature and there are some questionable magical elements there. Then, the entire rest of the story, with almost no interruption, discusses his grandfather's difficult immigration and life to Canada in the 1930s. The discussions of hardship and racism are intimate, angering, and eye-opening. The (lack of) emotional development later on makes me question if this generation was really a bit left behind because they simply didn't have time to do anything other than survive, or if it was just questionable writing. I wished there was more complexity on the part of William Ping (the first).

It's a good story and good writing: it just didn't necessarily need the present-day story line. The audiobook comment is because all Chinese characters are presented in strong accents, sometimes even when they're speaking Chinese. The narrator didn't seem to speak Chinese with correct pronunciation; I'm not decided if this adds or takes away from their characters yet.

[Brad Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 4.5! Amazing it’s a debut novel

[Ronan Grey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colourful historical fiction mixed with an overly 2010-specific narrative of a teenage protagonist that already felt dated and stale despite it’s recency. I think my mom would really like the book because it descibes post-2000’s north american culture with the same vagueness that daytime NBC speaks about tiktok and ‘the Gen Z’ culture.

[Anjali · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded down. Ping’s discomfort in laying claim to his racial identity is a struggle I can sympathize with. In his author’s note, he expresses how insecure he felt about writing his family’s Chinese-Canadian story whilst passing as a white man. To rectify this, he develops a side plot involving a mystical being who is trying to ‘teach’ the ignorant protagonist about his family origins. But in an otherwise important and impactful novel, Ping’s bumbling self-insert and the magical realism B-plot is a major distraction. I think I did go into this book hoping for more acknowledgment on the struggles of being mixed race, and instead received a comprehensive overview of the Chinese immigrant community of Newfoundland- which I was still delighted by. Ping is a talented writer, and I don’t think there was a need for self-deprecation. If you can look past the subplot, Hollow Bamboo is a fantastic account of Chinese-Canadian history.

[Danielle Chenevert · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible story! So uniquely written, about Chinese immigration to Newfoundland in the 1930’s. Enthralling, heart breaking and like no book I have ever read!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, didn’t like the framing

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ambitious and bittersweet book told in cinematic, lucid prose. I laughed, I cried... I felt the whole gamut of human emotion! Hollow Bamboo is a fast-paced, engrossing read full of whimsy and menace. Ping is an exciting new voice in Eastern canlit.

[Lise]

DNH. Not for me

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When starting this book it did not grab me. But glad I stuck with it , for bookclub. Slow start. Great finish So glad I read it.

[Mri Rchtte · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'était bien, mais j'ai plus aimé l'idée que l'exécution. Les sauts dans le temps m'ont vraiment fait décrocher par moments alors que ça aurait pu ajouter une perspective et des émotions intéressantes. Je me demande aussi pourquoi on n'a pas passé plus de temps sur comment Ping est devenu le pilier de sa communauté et si son mariage interracial a eu un effet sur son ascension sociale, alors que c'était vraiment ce qui était mis de l'avant dans l'introduction et qui m'avait accrochée au départ.

[Catherine Dempsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in this book for a couple of reasons. First, I lived in BC for a number of years, and was very aware of the Chinese community in Victoria, and some of their history. I really enjoyed books by western Canadian Asian writers in the past, and was aware of the foul treatment meted out to these people who were so important to the building of the railroad. Second, I have been vaguely aware of the history of the Chinese in Newfoundland, especially St John's, but that has been a story that is not well known at all.

William Ping has done an amazing job of bringing the story of his Grandfather arriving in St John's in the early 1930's to life. It is a clear look at how people's attitudes and prejudices affected these immigrants. Somehow he manages to do this without bitterness. One point that he makes is that he didn't know his own history, and felt out of place being biracial. Although my ancestors are all European, it has taken the connections that my mother's family maintained to keep us all connected to the Danish side of the family, while my father's family has drifted away into the unknown. Ping has made me want to reconnect with some of those relatives again.

[Linda Churchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio , the first time. A fascinating, funny , knowledgeable book about the Ping family of St. John’s. Reread for Book Club…so glad I did. The history of the Chinese immigrants to Newfoundland in the 1930’s is fascinating and heart breaking in many ways. My eyes were opened. It’s a topic I had not thought about before.

[Khalid Kurji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accidental complement to interior Chinatown and History of Burning. Would have loved if it added another generation

[Enid Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one that almost got away. The loan has been sitting on my Libby with the days counting down for almost three weeks without me getting to it. All of a sudden I realised that I only had 3 days left on my loan. I’m so glad that I decided to have a look at it as opposed to just letting it go and putting a new hold on it.

This vaguely reminds me of Ian McEwan’s Nutshell... In this case, as opposed to a smart-ass fetus, it’s a snarky spirit/ghost who steps into the life of our young protagonist and drives the action at the start.

Indeed, there’s another book it vaguely reminds me of, but for the life of me I can’t put my finger on which book… and I know that when I remember, or someone mentions the title, I’m going to smack myself up the side of my head and say ‘Duh!’

I was not sure about the framing of the story - the whole young guy has spirit/ghost encounter that then leads to his discovery of his family, and our national, history. But after reading the Author’s Note at the end I am feeling much more inclined to appreciate the use of the conceit.

Part of what makes this so powerful is that it is based on the author’s own actual family history… and I, as a reader, appreciate the authenticity that this brought to my reading experience. This novel is he learning about his own family history and sharing it with us… we are learning - simultaneously, in concert - with the author. I really felt what he must have felt as he uncovered these bits and pieces of his family history.

And the history he reveals… another part of our dark past that is likely little known to most. Yes, every Canadian schoolchild learns about the building of the railway and the Chinese Head Tax… but that’s about where the understanding of the lives and experience of early immigrant Chinese Canadians ends. This certainly fills in the gap admirably.

A highly recommended debut title.

[Barbara Brydges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough problems that I wavered about my rating, but the overall strength of the story made it a 4. The main problems reside in it’s not knowing what it wants to be. At first it seemed like it was going to be a comedy, and I was set to enjoy that. Then magic realism elements crept in as the lead character, William Ping himself, is haunted in Christmas Carol fashion by a ‘ghost’ that starts to show him elements of his grandfather’s youth in China, his grandfather also being William Ping who later became a respected leader of Newfoundland’s Chinese community. I was set to enjoy that too. But quickly it becomes a standard third-person narrative of the older William’s life, driven by the need to make a living and survive in a racist environment. Most of this is based on truth, as I learned in watching the video “The Last Chinese Laundry” which must have been a very helpful source to the author.
I was left wondering if this couldn’t have been better told as non-fiction. I do find the modern tendency to fictionalize history problematic because the need to tell a good story overrides accuracy; at the same time I recognize that it’s stories power that can convey deeper truths. But when we first meet a United Church minister in the 1920s wearing a black robe, called a priest and presiding over a Christmas Eve ‘Mass” everything else gets called into question for me. Although he’s one of the few ‘good guys’ in the community who sets up English lessons for these exploited Chinese men and brings them into his home.
In the end, I’d recommend this because, totally factual or not, it’s a piece of history that needed to be told, and it’s a gripping story.

[Krys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book quickly after starting it but put off writing this review for ages trying to find the right words to say because of how personal it was. It's almost impossible to review this objectively due to how specifically it resonates, not just in broad strokes of being a mixed-race third-generation Chinese-Canadian like the author, but right down to the fact that my own grandfather came over to Newfoundland the same year and was part of the very same community depicted in this book (even photographed in front of the Nickel Theatre as well). It was surreal to read a novel that didn't just hit close to home but was right there in the kitchen for a cup of tea. Despite being so familiar with the city streets mentioned, the townie and baymen accents, the weather, and possibly even several of the real folks in the community that were fictionalized in some of the characters, Hollow Bamboo brings to life a history of both my hometown and family that I always wanted to know more about beyond the stories and secondhand accounts I was told. Much like the author, I didn't get to personally know my grandfather either as he passed when I was small, so I feel like I've taken a similar journey into getting to know him through his experiences in the early days of immigrating to NL by reading this book. Admittedly I was thrown a bit at first by the narrative framing, but it was used effectively. I read this first at the library but quickly went out to purchase a copy of my own to re-read and keep as a kind of pseudo family memento for years to come. I can't recommend this one enough.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe a 3.5 from me. I appreciated the author's note saying he made his protagonist as annoying and privileged as possible but I think he went too far. The character says he wouldn't recognize Chinese characters versus "other Asian" writing twice within a few pages. Really?! You're living on the Rock, not under a rock! (I am hilarious). There is internet!

I don't know much about south China in 1930 (but I have read some books!) but the scenes with Poy showing public displays of affection with his wife struck me as really odd (compared to central China in 2019). There also seem to be anachronistic things like babies in "strollers" in 1931 (prams?) in Newfoundland.

But nitpicks aside (do authors not get editor anymore?), the actual story of Poy and his friends was interesting. Getting exposed to the constant racism is a bummer but maybe the comparison to early pandemic anti-Asian racism also a bit on the nose?

I think this is the author's first book so curious to see if he mellows out and gets a bit more nuanced. What really stuck out for me was the line about looking like the oppressor (as someone who's 75% white and 25% Chinese). I'd be curious how the author or character thinks of the white members of his family and presumably, pretty much all white friends.

[Paul Lemcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is the story of William Seto Ping leaving China for one year in Newfoundland, except the original plan failed and he was stuck, needing to survive in a new land where he was unwanted, and facing constant discrimination. It was a fascinating and tragic history of Chinese people who were looking for a better (wealthier) life and were limited by anti-Chinese sentiment and a land which legally treated them as the lowest of the low. It was often difficult to read about their daily lives as laundry workers, working 6 days a week, 21 hours every day, but it’s important to understand this history so that nothing like it ever occurs again. One strange choice the author made was to introduce the story, and frankly tell it from beginning to end from a current perspective by the use of a dream eating spirit. The spirit is a frequent visitor in the first 20% of the book, then vanishes from almost all the rest of it until they reappear at the end to tie things up. Think of it like Dickens’ ghosts of Christmas past, walking us through the story. In my opinion, it was unnecessary and obnoxious. Ultimately, it didn’t hurt the story, but it always struck me as an odd choice.

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book while at work, noticed its bright cover, and was intrigued by the caption inside: "the hilarious and heartbreaking story of two William Pings in Newfoundland - the lost millennial and the grandfather he knows nothing about." The author wrote his debut novel as a mix of autobiography and fiction which includes some magical realism and research on the early struggles and occasional successes of Chinese immigrants in Newfoundland. In particular, he writes about his great grandfather who arrived in 1931 and the account of the boat trip alone set the stage for details in the rest of the book about the harsh realities facing newcomers. Despite the seriousness of covered topics, Ping infused humour throughout and created memorable characters and stories which kept the action moving while highlighting anti-Asian racism that was problematic then and still today. Even though there is a time-travel element at the beginning and a bullying spirit named Mo, the magical realism part, this story kept me interested and was well written and enjoyable.

[Adrienne Michetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a creative, educative wild ride this was.

I'm a bit floored. Not only is this a remarkable piece of historical fiction, it is unique in how it is framed with switching points-of-view and use of flashbacks, flash-forwards, and time travel in general. You might think using these devices would feel chaotic or stilted, but the author has used these tools so carefully that in fact they become unifying elements. Its true, masterful, authorial ingenuity.

I am so humbled to learn about this part of Canadian and Newfoundland history. And the storytelling here is *chef's kiss.* By the end of the novel, I felt like these characters were my friends, and my community. It's evident that to Ping (the author) they are close to his heart too as they are his family. Such emotion, conveyed so quietly, so indirectly, and so economically, is a gift. My tears and laughter throughout this book were very, very real. I'm already searching Google for that NFB film, The Last Chinese Laundry.

10/10 recommend. I can't wait to see what William Ping does next.

[Snoopy · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. just wow. i have no words. actually, i have a few.

this book opened my eyes to a chapter of canadian history that we were not taught in school. and i especially connected with the narrator’s simultaneous alienation and desire for knowledge about their family’s culture. when you have immigrant grandparents, you grow up hearing about their struggles in their homeland and their journey to building a better life, but it’s difficult to really grasp what they’ve been through. i only wish i could immerse myself in their life stories the way Will was able to in this novel.

my heart aches when i think about how different canada must have been for my ancestors who arrived here. my heart aches even harder when i realize how many of their stories have been lost forever. i am so glad that the author was able to preserve some of these tales from his grandfather, and compile them into a piece of work that i may just spend forever thinking about.

it was funny, it was poignant, it was heartbreaking and it was perfect. no notes, only that i wish it kept going.
5/5 stars!!!!!!