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Tomb Sweeping
A playful and deeply affective short story collection about the histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships—from the award-winning writer of Days of Distraction
Compelling and perceptive, Tomb Sweeping probes the loyalties we hold: to relatives, to strangers, and to ourselves. In stories set across the US and Asia, Alexandra Chang immerses us in the lives of immigrant families, grocery store employees, expecting parents, and guileless lab assistants.
A woman known only to her neighbors as “the Asian recycling lady” collects bottles from the streets she calls home. A young college grad ponders the void left from a broken friendship. An unfulfilled housewife in Shanghai finds a secret outlet for her ambitions in an undercover gambling den. Two strangers become something more through the bond of mistaken identity.
These characters, adeptly attuned to the mystery of living, invite us to consider whether it is possible for anyone to entirely do right by another. Tomb Sweeping brims with remarkable skill and talent in every story, keeping a definitive pulse on loss, community, and what it means to feel fully alive.
Compelling and perceptive, Tomb Sweeping probes the loyalties we hold: to relatives, to strangers, and to ourselves. In stories set across the US and Asia, Alexandra Chang immerses us in the lives of immigrant families, grocery store employees, expecting parents, and guileless lab assistants.
A woman known only to her neighbors as “the Asian recycling lady” collects bottles from the streets she calls home. A young college grad ponders the void left from a broken friendship. An unfulfilled housewife in Shanghai finds a secret outlet for her ambitions in an undercover gambling den. Two strangers become something more through the bond of mistaken identity.
These characters, adeptly attuned to the mystery of living, invite us to consider whether it is possible for anyone to entirely do right by another. Tomb Sweeping brims with remarkable skill and talent in every story, keeping a definitive pulse on loss, community, and what it means to feel fully alive.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 8, 2023
466 people are currently reading
19880 people want to read
About the author
Alexandra Chang
11 books350 followersAlexandra Chang is the author of Days of Distraction. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, and her writing has appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Guernica, and elsewhere. She lives in Ventura County, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 983 reviews
March 8, 2024
this is one of those books i'm so excited to read it feels like it's been ordained by the universe.
let's see what happens (feat mini reviews for each story).
UNKNOWN BY UNKNOWN
a girl gets laid off with generous severance only to be invited to house sit in a beautiful home for money and no responsibilities but walking a dog...this is my dream.
even if it did end abruptly at the most exciting part.
rating: 3.5
LI FAN
this is so clever and so unique and so empathetic and so well-executed. in my humble opinion.
it is also so short.
rating: 4
TO GET RICH IS GLORIOUS
you have to love a scammer. you HAVE to.
rating: 3
FAREWELL HANK
i can only hope that one day i become a creepy and controlling old lady with a nickname so pervasive no one remembers my real name anymore.
rating: 2.5
CURE FOR LIFE
this story would have gone craaaazy if it were written during the #MeToo era. as is: it's fine!
rating: 3
KLARA
friendship breakups are worse than any romantic breakup and that is the dark secret of adult life that no one tells you.
rating: 3.5
A VISIT
well this made me feel vaguely sad and guilty for a reason i can't quite pinpoint. a feeling to which i say: no thank you!
rating: 2.5
FLIES
this story contains a description of a dead rat so vivid and disgusting that it occupies a permanent section of my brain previously reserved for my siblings' names and my favorite cookie recipe.
spoiler alert, i guess.
rating: 3
SHE WILL BE A SWIMMER
this is one of those stories that fails at what it was trying to do and thereby does the exact opposite. unfortunately.
rating: 2
PHENOTYPE
if this story was a full-length novel it would be trendy on bookstagram and have, like, a 3.53 average rating.
which is a compliment.
rating: 4
ME AND MY ALGO
this is just the worst, i'm sorry...this is middle school creative writing prize level writing...
i can't stress enough how much i thought i would like this book.
rating: 1
PERSONA DEVELOPMENT
this had traces of what i thought this entire collection would be.
and a great title.
rating: 3
TOMB SWEEPING
never a good sign when the title story doesn't hit.
rating: 2.5
CAT PERSONALITIES
what are we even doing here.
rating: 1.5
OTHER PEOPLE
this started somewhere and made me think it was doing something and then...i don't even know what happened.
aaaand that's it!
rating: 2
OVERALL
at no point did it even cross my mind that i might not like this book, which a) is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, b) shares an author with a book i unexpectedly really loved, and c) has a gorgeous cover (most important).
but this felt very shallow and thoughtless where the author's debut was the opposite. bummer.
rating: 2.5
let's see what happens (feat mini reviews for each story).
UNKNOWN BY UNKNOWN
a girl gets laid off with generous severance only to be invited to house sit in a beautiful home for money and no responsibilities but walking a dog...this is my dream.
even if it did end abruptly at the most exciting part.
rating: 3.5
LI FAN
this is so clever and so unique and so empathetic and so well-executed. in my humble opinion.
it is also so short.
rating: 4
TO GET RICH IS GLORIOUS
you have to love a scammer. you HAVE to.
rating: 3
FAREWELL HANK
i can only hope that one day i become a creepy and controlling old lady with a nickname so pervasive no one remembers my real name anymore.
rating: 2.5
CURE FOR LIFE
this story would have gone craaaazy if it were written during the #MeToo era. as is: it's fine!
rating: 3
KLARA
friendship breakups are worse than any romantic breakup and that is the dark secret of adult life that no one tells you.
rating: 3.5
A VISIT
well this made me feel vaguely sad and guilty for a reason i can't quite pinpoint. a feeling to which i say: no thank you!
rating: 2.5
FLIES
this story contains a description of a dead rat so vivid and disgusting that it occupies a permanent section of my brain previously reserved for my siblings' names and my favorite cookie recipe.
spoiler alert, i guess.
rating: 3
SHE WILL BE A SWIMMER
this is one of those stories that fails at what it was trying to do and thereby does the exact opposite. unfortunately.
rating: 2
PHENOTYPE
if this story was a full-length novel it would be trendy on bookstagram and have, like, a 3.53 average rating.
which is a compliment.
rating: 4
ME AND MY ALGO
this is just the worst, i'm sorry...this is middle school creative writing prize level writing...
i can't stress enough how much i thought i would like this book.
rating: 1
PERSONA DEVELOPMENT
this had traces of what i thought this entire collection would be.
and a great title.
rating: 3
TOMB SWEEPING
never a good sign when the title story doesn't hit.
rating: 2.5
CAT PERSONALITIES
what are we even doing here.
rating: 1.5
OTHER PEOPLE
this started somewhere and made me think it was doing something and then...i don't even know what happened.
aaaand that's it!
rating: 2
OVERALL
at no point did it even cross my mind that i might not like this book, which a) is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, b) shares an author with a book i unexpectedly really loved, and c) has a gorgeous cover (most important).
but this felt very shallow and thoughtless where the author's debut was the opposite. bummer.
rating: 2.5
August 18, 2023
In a Nutshell: An anthology written in slice-of-life style. Some really good writing herein, but unfortunately, the writing didn’t work as expected for me.
This is a collection of fifteen character-driven stories, all focussed on Chinese or Chinese-American experiences either in China or in the USA. The stories are literary in approach, meaning they focus more on character development than on plot progression. They are also slice-of-life in style, which means we don’t always get a traditional start-middle-end. Both of these factors work well for me in full-length or novella-length fiction, but are a hit-or-miss in short fiction.
Without an author’s note, I couldn’t find a connecting theme to the stories except for the commonality of the Asian background and having a character-driven plot development. The stories cover a range of genres, from dramatic to fantastical. There is an undertone of melancholy to most of the tales. Quite a few explore the complications of humans’ relationships with themselves, with their families, and with outsiders.
The characters always feel like regular and relatable people even though they vary vastly in financial and social backgrounds.
The writing feels experimental at times. One story, for instance, is written in reverse order, with the first sentence providing the ending, and then working backwards with every subsequent sentence until we reach the introduction in the last sentence. This was a challenging but brilliant experience. Another has titled subsections, with each part providing the main story in sequential instalments.
What could have improved my experience with this anthology to a certain extent would have been satisfactory endings to the stories. The endings in many cases cannot be called abrupt endings or open endings. The best I can describe them is as ‘incomplete endings’. The tales felt episodic in nature, but with the final episode missing. I know that character-oriented stories don’t always lend themselves to happy endings or straightforward plots. But as a reader, I do like a certain amount of closure, even if it comes through an open ending, but definitely not by a sudden climax that comes without warning and seals nothing.
I can’t deny the beauty of the author’s writing. There are some brilliant lines in many of the stories, which is not something we often get to see in short fiction. She has the talent, and I would love to try a full-length novel by her to see if she can use that marvellous brain of hers to greater impact in the longer version of storytelling.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fifteen stories, four stories reached or crossed the four star mark. These are:
✤ Li Fan – The story written in reverse. An easy favourite. Loved the innovative writing tactic. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
✤ Cure for Life – The friendship between two supermarket employees suffers because of the age gap. Honestly, I don’t know why I liked this, but I did! 😁 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✤ Persona Development – A daughter takes her duty to her aged parents too far. Almost like a dark comedy with sad undertones. One of the few stories with an ending that made me smile. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✤ Cat Personalities – When you can’t directly gossip about your friends, you gossip about their cats. A fun tale. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Five more stories – ‘Unknown by Unknown’, ‘To Get Rich is Glorious’, ‘A Visit’, ‘Phenotype’, and ‘Me and my Algo’ – would have been added to the above list if they had provided me with better closure at the end.
In short, beautiful writing, slice-of-life approach, character-oriented storytelling, and sometimes-incomplete endings – these are the factors you ought to keep in mind to check if this anthology will work for you.
Recommended but not to everyone.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story.
My thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the DRC of “Tomb Sweeping”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
This is a collection of fifteen character-driven stories, all focussed on Chinese or Chinese-American experiences either in China or in the USA. The stories are literary in approach, meaning they focus more on character development than on plot progression. They are also slice-of-life in style, which means we don’t always get a traditional start-middle-end. Both of these factors work well for me in full-length or novella-length fiction, but are a hit-or-miss in short fiction.
Without an author’s note, I couldn’t find a connecting theme to the stories except for the commonality of the Asian background and having a character-driven plot development. The stories cover a range of genres, from dramatic to fantastical. There is an undertone of melancholy to most of the tales. Quite a few explore the complications of humans’ relationships with themselves, with their families, and with outsiders.
The characters always feel like regular and relatable people even though they vary vastly in financial and social backgrounds.
The writing feels experimental at times. One story, for instance, is written in reverse order, with the first sentence providing the ending, and then working backwards with every subsequent sentence until we reach the introduction in the last sentence. This was a challenging but brilliant experience. Another has titled subsections, with each part providing the main story in sequential instalments.
What could have improved my experience with this anthology to a certain extent would have been satisfactory endings to the stories. The endings in many cases cannot be called abrupt endings or open endings. The best I can describe them is as ‘incomplete endings’. The tales felt episodic in nature, but with the final episode missing. I know that character-oriented stories don’t always lend themselves to happy endings or straightforward plots. But as a reader, I do like a certain amount of closure, even if it comes through an open ending, but definitely not by a sudden climax that comes without warning and seals nothing.
I can’t deny the beauty of the author’s writing. There are some brilliant lines in many of the stories, which is not something we often get to see in short fiction. She has the talent, and I would love to try a full-length novel by her to see if she can use that marvellous brain of hers to greater impact in the longer version of storytelling.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the fifteen stories, four stories reached or crossed the four star mark. These are:
✤ Li Fan – The story written in reverse. An easy favourite. Loved the innovative writing tactic. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
✤ Cure for Life – The friendship between two supermarket employees suffers because of the age gap. Honestly, I don’t know why I liked this, but I did! 😁 - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✤ Persona Development – A daughter takes her duty to her aged parents too far. Almost like a dark comedy with sad undertones. One of the few stories with an ending that made me smile. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✤ Cat Personalities – When you can’t directly gossip about your friends, you gossip about their cats. A fun tale. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Five more stories – ‘Unknown by Unknown’, ‘To Get Rich is Glorious’, ‘A Visit’, ‘Phenotype’, and ‘Me and my Algo’ – would have been added to the above list if they had provided me with better closure at the end.
In short, beautiful writing, slice-of-life approach, character-oriented storytelling, and sometimes-incomplete endings – these are the factors you ought to keep in mind to check if this anthology will work for you.
Recommended but not to everyone.
3.2 stars, based on the average of my rating for each story.
My thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for the DRC of “Tomb Sweeping”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
March 21, 2023
A modern look at life, womanhood, technology, family, and selfhood in a series of compelling, witty and thought-provoking short stories.
Alexandra Chang's debut story collection is a masterclass in writing for the millennial. She speaks to the 'now' in ways that many writers try and fail miserably at. She captures the ennui and malaise of my generation without the hopelessness many tend to concentrate on. It's by no means exclusively catering to millennials, though. She writes about a variety of characters, across age and gender barriers, creating a chorus of voices that build a cohesive series of stories.
In the opening story, a powerful introduction to the collection, a young woman takes a house sitting job in a remote mountain villa and is mesmerized by a particular painting in the house and its mysterious creator ("Unknown by Unknown"). That story is followed up by a short but impactful story told in reverse, chronicling the life of an immigrant woman as we trace the steps of her life from death back to her young adulthood ("Li Fan"). These two stories excellently capture Chang's ability to write widely—of experiences, in different genres and tones—and still manage to have something clear to say; and yet still leaves enough for the reader to interpret and ponder afterwards.
Many of the stories in this collection consider our place in modern society, whether through our relationship to technology, the economy and capitalism, or one another. Many of the characters have awkward encounters or uncomfortable conversations that lead to revelations about who THEY are as a human and how we function in a collective. There's a clear grappling within this collection of the individual versus society as a whole, our reckoning with history and where we come from. The future and past interplay in a way that's both confounding and comforting, as we realize our tiny existence on this planet is but a brief story in the annals of history.
There's no doubt I loved this book. I knew from the first story I would love Chang's writing style, and her ability to drop me immediately into a story and feel fully immersed in the character's experience and world is something I seek out when reading short story collections. This was a near perfect series of stories that I would love to revisit someday, and highly encourage everyone to pick up when it's released in August 2023.
[Thank you to the publisher for an early review copy via Netgalley!
Alexandra Chang's debut story collection is a masterclass in writing for the millennial. She speaks to the 'now' in ways that many writers try and fail miserably at. She captures the ennui and malaise of my generation without the hopelessness many tend to concentrate on. It's by no means exclusively catering to millennials, though. She writes about a variety of characters, across age and gender barriers, creating a chorus of voices that build a cohesive series of stories.
In the opening story, a powerful introduction to the collection, a young woman takes a house sitting job in a remote mountain villa and is mesmerized by a particular painting in the house and its mysterious creator ("Unknown by Unknown"). That story is followed up by a short but impactful story told in reverse, chronicling the life of an immigrant woman as we trace the steps of her life from death back to her young adulthood ("Li Fan"). These two stories excellently capture Chang's ability to write widely—of experiences, in different genres and tones—and still manage to have something clear to say; and yet still leaves enough for the reader to interpret and ponder afterwards.
Many of the stories in this collection consider our place in modern society, whether through our relationship to technology, the economy and capitalism, or one another. Many of the characters have awkward encounters or uncomfortable conversations that lead to revelations about who THEY are as a human and how we function in a collective. There's a clear grappling within this collection of the individual versus society as a whole, our reckoning with history and where we come from. The future and past interplay in a way that's both confounding and comforting, as we realize our tiny existence on this planet is but a brief story in the annals of history.
There's no doubt I loved this book. I knew from the first story I would love Chang's writing style, and her ability to drop me immediately into a story and feel fully immersed in the character's experience and world is something I seek out when reading short story collections. This was a near perfect series of stories that I would love to revisit someday, and highly encourage everyone to pick up when it's released in August 2023.
[Thank you to the publisher for an early review copy via Netgalley!
April 9, 2023
Exceptional collection of stories featuring primarily women of Chinese descent in various aspects of life, many through experiences of immigrants. For once, each story resonates, not a clinker in the bunch. One standout, for me, was Li Fan in which an entire is told in microcosm, backwards, beginning with a death and finishing with incipient lifelong dreams. Highly recommend. An author to follow.
January 29, 2024
3.5
Loved the first short story
Loved the first short story
dnfed
June 5, 2025DNF at 70%, so far out of the 9 stories I've read none were above a 3.5/5 and only 2 were 3/5 or more so I feel I can safely say that this one isn't for me.
August 15, 2023
3.5 stars
This was an interesting collection of 15 short stories by Alexandra Chang, whose previous novel Days of Distraction I had read several years back and really enjoyed. With this particular collection, I was drawn to certain stories more than others, which isn’t surprising, as that’s my usual reaction to short story collections that aren’t linked somehow. While I would say that I did enjoy this collection overall in terms of content and writing, I didn’t like that all the stories felt incomplete in some way — in some cases, I felt like I was being dropped in the middle of a scene that had already been happening, while in other cases, the ending felt so abrupt that I couldn’t helping thinking I was missing some pages perhaps. That feeling of “incompleteness” is one of the things that makes short story collections a hit or miss for me (though at the same time, it’s hard for me to not read them if I come across a collection that seems like it would suit my tastes).
For me, one of the things that stood out the most with this collection was the way Chang plays around with form in some of the stories.
The first story that started off the collection, entitled “Unknown by Unknown”definitely captured my attention with its tense buildup, but then it veered a little bit into the abstract and in the end, I didn’t really understand where it was going (though maybe that was just me). The second story, “Li Fan” was the most interesting as well as the most obviously experimental one — the entire story was told backwards (which I actually didn’t realize until I was about a quarter of the way through the story and was wondering why it read so oddly), with the last sentence first and the first sentence last. This was definitely a unique structure, one that I’d never seen employed before, though to be honest, it didn’t quite work for me, since I prefer stories in a more straightforward format (I get too distracted otherwise). I actually had to go back and re-read this story the “right” way (starting at the end back to the beginning, which did irk me a little). The story “Me and My Algo” features an algorithm as a main character (that is essentially in conversation with the unnamed first person narrator), while the story “Cat Personalities” consists of two characters talking about each other (and a friend) in relation to each of their cat’s personality traits.
Even though I didn’t necessarily resonate with some of the stories, I did appreciate overall the familiarity of the themes that we as Asian Americans and immigrants often struggle with — themes such as identity and our relationship with society, generational disparity and differences, reconciling past with present, the role of family and the way the dynamics evolve in an immigrant household, etc. There also seemed to be quite a few stories relating to technology, which was interesting considering this was a central theme in Chang’s previous work as well.
Overall, this was a pretty decent collection and I’m glad I read it, despite not necessarily understanding the message behind each story. I’m interested in seeing what Chang will write next, though I’m definitely hoping that it will be a novel rather than short stories.
Received ARC from Ecco Press via NetGalley.
This was an interesting collection of 15 short stories by Alexandra Chang, whose previous novel Days of Distraction I had read several years back and really enjoyed. With this particular collection, I was drawn to certain stories more than others, which isn’t surprising, as that’s my usual reaction to short story collections that aren’t linked somehow. While I would say that I did enjoy this collection overall in terms of content and writing, I didn’t like that all the stories felt incomplete in some way — in some cases, I felt like I was being dropped in the middle of a scene that had already been happening, while in other cases, the ending felt so abrupt that I couldn’t helping thinking I was missing some pages perhaps. That feeling of “incompleteness” is one of the things that makes short story collections a hit or miss for me (though at the same time, it’s hard for me to not read them if I come across a collection that seems like it would suit my tastes).
For me, one of the things that stood out the most with this collection was the way Chang plays around with form in some of the stories.
The first story that started off the collection, entitled “Unknown by Unknown”definitely captured my attention with its tense buildup, but then it veered a little bit into the abstract and in the end, I didn’t really understand where it was going (though maybe that was just me). The second story, “Li Fan” was the most interesting as well as the most obviously experimental one — the entire story was told backwards (which I actually didn’t realize until I was about a quarter of the way through the story and was wondering why it read so oddly), with the last sentence first and the first sentence last. This was definitely a unique structure, one that I’d never seen employed before, though to be honest, it didn’t quite work for me, since I prefer stories in a more straightforward format (I get too distracted otherwise). I actually had to go back and re-read this story the “right” way (starting at the end back to the beginning, which did irk me a little). The story “Me and My Algo” features an algorithm as a main character (that is essentially in conversation with the unnamed first person narrator), while the story “Cat Personalities” consists of two characters talking about each other (and a friend) in relation to each of their cat’s personality traits.
Even though I didn’t necessarily resonate with some of the stories, I did appreciate overall the familiarity of the themes that we as Asian Americans and immigrants often struggle with — themes such as identity and our relationship with society, generational disparity and differences, reconciling past with present, the role of family and the way the dynamics evolve in an immigrant household, etc. There also seemed to be quite a few stories relating to technology, which was interesting considering this was a central theme in Chang’s previous work as well.
Overall, this was a pretty decent collection and I’m glad I read it, despite not necessarily understanding the message behind each story. I’m interested in seeing what Chang will write next, though I’m definitely hoping that it will be a novel rather than short stories.
Received ARC from Ecco Press via NetGalley.
May 17, 2023
A fascinating collection of short stories, 15 in total, of modern life and our relationship to technology and our identity both personally and as a collective.
“Life without my grandparents, especially my grandfather, has been both sad and liberating to me.”
I loved the compelling conversations surrounding Chinese diaspora and cultural identity. Each story offers immediate immersion into the character’s world, with a skillfully written sense of melancholy and ennui that is prevalent within the gen z and millennial generations.
The dynamic range of stories helps propel this book, the stories are punchy without melodrama, and each character is deeply human.
(Thank you to the publisher for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review)
“Life without my grandparents, especially my grandfather, has been both sad and liberating to me.”
I loved the compelling conversations surrounding Chinese diaspora and cultural identity. Each story offers immediate immersion into the character’s world, with a skillfully written sense of melancholy and ennui that is prevalent within the gen z and millennial generations.
The dynamic range of stories helps propel this book, the stories are punchy without melodrama, and each character is deeply human.
(Thank you to the publisher for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review)
August 20, 2023
Chang reveals in her acknowledgements that these stories were written over a nine-year span. This indicates that she probably wrote many of the pieces in Tomb Sweeping before her first published work, a novel Days of Distraction. Having not yet read her novel, I would surmise and hope it’s more engaging and refined than these tentative stories, which feel experimental and more like her breaking ground with her earliest narrative ideas. They lack fluidity and perhaps they fall into a trap of endless rehashing and tinkering with them over so many years to the point that they come off a little deflated rather than buoyant. The best pieces are the first three, but after that I grew impatient with the tedium of the prose. I credit Chang’s skill for probably having written these stories in her twenties, but her literary style felt like it was more in a developmental stage, which made the stories less impactful than they could have been.
September 9, 2023
(3.75 stars)
This is a collection of character-driven short stories. These tales offer captivating snapshots of young women grappling with the complexities of modern life in both America and China. The book's diverse array of stories contributes to its compelling narrative, characterized by concise and impactful storytelling free from melodrama. Each character is intricately portrayed, showcasing their deep humanity.
thanks to Ecco for kindly sending me the DRC.
This is a collection of character-driven short stories. These tales offer captivating snapshots of young women grappling with the complexities of modern life in both America and China. The book's diverse array of stories contributes to its compelling narrative, characterized by concise and impactful storytelling free from melodrama. Each character is intricately portrayed, showcasing their deep humanity.
thanks to Ecco for kindly sending me the DRC.
October 1, 2023
I've been saying how short stories are difficult to read, especially in a collection. They are not meant to be read sequentially. Here are 15 stories. And a pattern did emerge. The common threads are anxiety, Chinese diaspora, and that "punchline" quirk that's so common in short stories. By punchline, I mean that zinger, a twist that loses its appeal and impact. It's the nudge, nudge, wink, wink where the story turns or reveals something. And after several punchlines (and I don't think we should repetitively be exposed to it)... that feature becomes a gimmick. That quirky jab is predictable and expected.
I liked "Me and My Algo" the best. This piece about one's electronic or social media algorithm was fresh and incisive. It's eerie and timely. "Unknown of the Unknown" is clever. "Li Fan" was a feminist portrayal that shows a Chinese woman's life backwards. I also like "Tomb Sweeping" and "A Visit." Each story in the book is unique and certainly innovative. But I do caution, again, against too much exposure to the "gimmick."
Overall, I'd recommend this collection. I just wouldn't read each story back to back. (Interestingly, I was taking my own advice by reading this title as an antidote to reading another short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Now I wouldn't recommend doing that either as it's the same difference. Haha)
I liked "Me and My Algo" the best. This piece about one's electronic or social media algorithm was fresh and incisive. It's eerie and timely. "Unknown of the Unknown" is clever. "Li Fan" was a feminist portrayal that shows a Chinese woman's life backwards. I also like "Tomb Sweeping" and "A Visit." Each story in the book is unique and certainly innovative. But I do caution, again, against too much exposure to the "gimmick."
Overall, I'd recommend this collection. I just wouldn't read each story back to back. (Interestingly, I was taking my own advice by reading this title as an antidote to reading another short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Now I wouldn't recommend doing that either as it's the same difference. Haha)
November 9, 2023
A quietly moving slice of life collection that examines the notable emotions and surprising turns of the everyday. Each story offers a glimpse into the ways which we try, with varying degrees of success and failure, to do the right thing, to respect ourselves, our surroundings, one another, to find happiness. It measures how the ordinary arguments, desires, routines build up to create something of great meaning, a catalyst to an emotional revelation, an inspiration. It is a blend of the ways we perceive ourselves and the ways which we open ourselves to others, a written account of how we connect in the modern world, across subtle, intangible walls. Insightful and engaging.
December 10, 2023
As with many short story collections, this had its ups and downs. With some really good character growth, I would have loved to see a thread running thru to tie them all together. As is, it's just a collection that sort of falls apart.
July 13, 2025
I’ll think on the rating for this one for a little while. Bouncing back and forth between a solid 3 or a 3.5 rounded up to a 4. The writing has this odd, very steady and neutral quality to it (hard to describe). I would be reading along in several of the stories, kind of starting to feel a bit bored, but then would get hit with something really moving and deep. This definitely happened in "Klara," "A Visit," "Flies," and "Persona Development." The very first story, "Unknown By Unknown," is so unlike all the others because it’s genuinely SPOOKY. "Li Fan" is another outlier in that it plays with form and structure in a very cool and successful way. I definitely enjoyed the first half of the stories over the later ones. There were definitely some that were just not as successful for me. This also reminds that I need to get back into more short story collections!
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November 27, 2023Why I love it
By Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts
As a general rule, satisfying short story collections are the unicorns of the book world. So often they fall into the same traps: one story always feels too long, or they all start to blend together, or you’re wracked with frustration over a story’s inconclusiveness. Tomb Sweeping is a gorgeous, rich, moving antidote to all of these problems: a meticulously layered fifteen-course meal that left me sated and pondering life’s bigger questions.
Throughout these stories, we meet a vast array of characters, from a young woman holed up alone in an increasingly eerie mansion to a bored housewife who creates her own income stream in the form of an underground gambling ring. Each story does an exquisite job of building an entire world in just a few pages. As we travel the globe from the U.S. to China, Alexandra Chang captures the perfect tone for each tale: sometimes cheeky, sometimes yearning, but always deeply heartfelt and empathic.
This collection also does a brilliant job of illuminating the subtleties of societal expectations and seems to relish its characters’ moments of vulnerability and weirdness responding to these strict, so often unspoken guidelines. Chang manages to tackle the idea of what it means to be holistically satisfied—in life, in love—across time periods and tracks how much our relationships to happiness have changed the more our lives have become complicated by technology. Tomb Sweeping is that rare book that is better consumed in small bites, which is why it’s our look-back pick for 2023. I invite you to savor it.
Read more at: https://app.bookofthemonth.com/all-bo...
By Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts
As a general rule, satisfying short story collections are the unicorns of the book world. So often they fall into the same traps: one story always feels too long, or they all start to blend together, or you’re wracked with frustration over a story’s inconclusiveness. Tomb Sweeping is a gorgeous, rich, moving antidote to all of these problems: a meticulously layered fifteen-course meal that left me sated and pondering life’s bigger questions.
Throughout these stories, we meet a vast array of characters, from a young woman holed up alone in an increasingly eerie mansion to a bored housewife who creates her own income stream in the form of an underground gambling ring. Each story does an exquisite job of building an entire world in just a few pages. As we travel the globe from the U.S. to China, Alexandra Chang captures the perfect tone for each tale: sometimes cheeky, sometimes yearning, but always deeply heartfelt and empathic.
This collection also does a brilliant job of illuminating the subtleties of societal expectations and seems to relish its characters’ moments of vulnerability and weirdness responding to these strict, so often unspoken guidelines. Chang manages to tackle the idea of what it means to be holistically satisfied—in life, in love—across time periods and tracks how much our relationships to happiness have changed the more our lives have become complicated by technology. Tomb Sweeping is that rare book that is better consumed in small bites, which is why it’s our look-back pick for 2023. I invite you to savor it.
Read more at: https://app.bookofthemonth.com/all-bo...
December 10, 2023
A mesmerizing and wonderful group of short stories that I know I’ll be revisiting often. Such beautiful storytelling and writing.
May 21, 2025
3.0/5
Several of these short stories stand out among the collection. My personal favorites were Unknown by Unknown, Me and My Algo, and Cat Personalities.
Several of these short stories stand out among the collection. My personal favorites were Unknown by Unknown, Me and My Algo, and Cat Personalities.
August 29, 2023
This is a solid short story collection. Personally, I don't think it's the best I've ever read in terms of this genre, but it's still a nice read. There were a couple of stories that didn't do much for me, or downright confused me but overall, I liked these stories. Some were very quirky, and some were poignant. My top 5 favorite stories are: "Cure for Life", "Klara", "Flies", "Phenotype", and "Persona Development". Alexandra Chang is a talented writer. I definitely want to go back and read her debut, "Days of Distraction". Also, isn't the cover art absolutely gorgeous!! So eye-catching and colorful.
May 11, 2024
I’ll admit, I think a lot of these stories simply went over my head. This just wasn’t for me. I didn’t understand half of them, and I didn’t really enjoy the other half. It felt a bit like reading poetry where you know it’s beautiful but you can’t quite decipher why.
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August 31, 2023dnf @26%
I have no desire, no interest in it at all.
I have no desire, no interest in it at all.
August 7, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5. What a vibrant short story collection! This is right up there with my favorites.
Chang writes with exceptional style! The collection feels thoughtful yet accessible in its tone, casual yet layered in its composition. This is the kind of writing that encourages a second read, and because the stories are so short I often did go right back to the beginning after I finished a story to connect the dots and lock all of the puzzle pieces in place.
Quite a few of the stories center around the death of someone or something, making the collection feel cohesive despite its range of subjects. There is a Memento-esque story that is told backwards, beginning with a woman’s death. In another, our narrator is attending the living memorial of a man who is not yet dead or even dying! But it’s not always a person’s death being analyzed; Chang also examines concepts – the death of a dream, a friendship, a crush, and even the death of innocence.
Human connection, or the lack thereof, is prominent here. In Unknown by Unknown, our narrator has lost her job to a computer who can do it faster. In Me and My Algo, a woman is terrorized by her social media algorithm after revealing to it her deepest desires. The powerful Tombsweeping ponders who, in the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Singapore, has been wronged and who, a generation later, deserves to pay? Quirky characters abound in Cat Personalities, a story about two passive aggressive women who use their cats to critique each other’s traits. And we watch dumbfoundedly as two lab mates awkwardly try to build a connection with each other in Phenotype.
It is hard to balance insightfulness with playfulness, and Chang should be applauded for achieving the perfect balance here. Sincere thanks to @ecco for the ARC, this is out Aug 8, 2023.
P.S. This insanely ‘gram-worthy cover is probably my favorite cover of the year!
Chang writes with exceptional style! The collection feels thoughtful yet accessible in its tone, casual yet layered in its composition. This is the kind of writing that encourages a second read, and because the stories are so short I often did go right back to the beginning after I finished a story to connect the dots and lock all of the puzzle pieces in place.
Quite a few of the stories center around the death of someone or something, making the collection feel cohesive despite its range of subjects. There is a Memento-esque story that is told backwards, beginning with a woman’s death. In another, our narrator is attending the living memorial of a man who is not yet dead or even dying! But it’s not always a person’s death being analyzed; Chang also examines concepts – the death of a dream, a friendship, a crush, and even the death of innocence.
Human connection, or the lack thereof, is prominent here. In Unknown by Unknown, our narrator has lost her job to a computer who can do it faster. In Me and My Algo, a woman is terrorized by her social media algorithm after revealing to it her deepest desires. The powerful Tombsweeping ponders who, in the aftermath of the Japanese occupation of Singapore, has been wronged and who, a generation later, deserves to pay? Quirky characters abound in Cat Personalities, a story about two passive aggressive women who use their cats to critique each other’s traits. And we watch dumbfoundedly as two lab mates awkwardly try to build a connection with each other in Phenotype.
It is hard to balance insightfulness with playfulness, and Chang should be applauded for achieving the perfect balance here. Sincere thanks to @ecco for the ARC, this is out Aug 8, 2023.
P.S. This insanely ‘gram-worthy cover is probably my favorite cover of the year!
October 14, 2023
4.5 rounded up
October 25, 2023
very eclectic.
July 18, 2024
These short stories were well-written and relatively entertaining!
December 1, 2023
god this was clumsy. acknowledgments page says it was written over nine years, so presumably some of the stories were written prior to her novel (which I hear is good?) but damn, this was stiff and awkward
September 13, 2023
An instance where judging a book by its cover paid off! The cover immediately caught my eye. I knew I had to read it at first glance and I am so glad I did.
‘Tomb Sweeping’ is a timely short story collection that is wide-ranging. We explore human connection, loneliness, friendships that are complex and drift apart, the path a person takes when they feel frustrated with their ambition and have no outlet to channel it to, expecting parents, the growing influence and consequences of technology, and more.
I love reading stories about immigrants and immigrant families and there were a few that touch on their journeys and feelings of hope and the crushing realization of the realities, randomness, and unfairness of life.
Some had a mysterious and eerie tone to them like Unknown by Unknown and others I found really sweet and endearing like Phenotype.
There were a few that stood out to me...
- Li Fan, which I see as the universal favorite among readers, is a great reflection of Chang’s talent as it is a 3 pager telling the story of a woman's life backward starting with her death
- Farewell Hank, this one made me laugh as we see a wife throw a farewell party for her husband who is very much alive
- Phenotype, an unexpected relationship blossoming in a biology lab that sweetly shows how the only opinion of a relationship that matters is the opinion of the people in it
- Other People, a mistaken identity leading to the weirdest date you will ever witness
Thank you so much for the copy Ecco!
‘Tomb Sweeping’ is a timely short story collection that is wide-ranging. We explore human connection, loneliness, friendships that are complex and drift apart, the path a person takes when they feel frustrated with their ambition and have no outlet to channel it to, expecting parents, the growing influence and consequences of technology, and more.
I love reading stories about immigrants and immigrant families and there were a few that touch on their journeys and feelings of hope and the crushing realization of the realities, randomness, and unfairness of life.
Some had a mysterious and eerie tone to them like Unknown by Unknown and others I found really sweet and endearing like Phenotype.
There were a few that stood out to me...
- Li Fan, which I see as the universal favorite among readers, is a great reflection of Chang’s talent as it is a 3 pager telling the story of a woman's life backward starting with her death
- Farewell Hank, this one made me laugh as we see a wife throw a farewell party for her husband who is very much alive
- Phenotype, an unexpected relationship blossoming in a biology lab that sweetly shows how the only opinion of a relationship that matters is the opinion of the people in it
- Other People, a mistaken identity leading to the weirdest date you will ever witness
Thank you so much for the copy Ecco!
August 6, 2023
Thank you to Ecco Books for the gifted ARC
In this short story collection following the lives of Asians & Asian Americans, Chang explores our relationships with one another through history, magical realism, and technology. Where does one’s life end and another begin?
I adore Chang’s sophomore book and am amazed by the breadth of topics she covers in TOMB SWEEPING. While individual short stories in a collection can sometimes be repetitive/forgettable, every chapter in TOMB SWEEPING is unique and intriguing.
I particularly love Chang’s excavation of death and how we memorialize it. In Unknown By Unknown, a woman grapples with the death of her career; Farewell, Hank imagines where we go after death and ponders the significance of it; Klara shows the death of a friendship as two friends enter adulthood; Me and My Algo describes the death of innocence as our lives get increasingly intertwined with tech.
The titular story examines the rippling effects of wartime deaths and asks the readers: can we truly escape from wrongful deaths and generational trauma?
TOMB SWEEPING is a brilliant and poignant short story collection that will stay with me long after finishing it. Congratulations to Chang on her sophomore novel; she has quickly become my auto-buy author, and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next!
In this short story collection following the lives of Asians & Asian Americans, Chang explores our relationships with one another through history, magical realism, and technology. Where does one’s life end and another begin?
I adore Chang’s sophomore book and am amazed by the breadth of topics she covers in TOMB SWEEPING. While individual short stories in a collection can sometimes be repetitive/forgettable, every chapter in TOMB SWEEPING is unique and intriguing.
I particularly love Chang’s excavation of death and how we memorialize it. In Unknown By Unknown, a woman grapples with the death of her career; Farewell, Hank imagines where we go after death and ponders the significance of it; Klara shows the death of a friendship as two friends enter adulthood; Me and My Algo describes the death of innocence as our lives get increasingly intertwined with tech.
The titular story examines the rippling effects of wartime deaths and asks the readers: can we truly escape from wrongful deaths and generational trauma?
TOMB SWEEPING is a brilliant and poignant short story collection that will stay with me long after finishing it. Congratulations to Chang on her sophomore novel; she has quickly become my auto-buy author, and I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next!
September 25, 2023
A refreshing, unique in a sense the writing felt familiar yet the undertone of each stories are relatable in some parts. You cant help being immersed in each of these stories. What I appreciated the most from this collection is the focus on the characters, we are learning about them, their background as if we are the spectators to their life enlarged in a microscopic image of a book. At some point, they are funny, weird, sad at times, embarrasingly awkward yet they are endearing too. The slice of life, mundaneness of the events with no bombastic or major events happening make this a compelling read because in all honesty, sometimes I just want to read about real people dealing with the real struggles or shits in their life.
Opening up with Unknown of Unknown sets the tone of this book in a tense, calculating creepiness when we followed a recently unemployed woman house sit a dog in an isolated home away from others. Reminded me a lot of the babysitters slasher movies and this was kinda creepy to read and the ending thus ended a bit abruptly yet i like the tone a lot. Li Fan's style if narrative was smartly used with the ending being told first and we trace back to the past of her before she becomes the Asian recycling lady 🥲.
Opening up with Unknown of Unknown sets the tone of this book in a tense, calculating creepiness when we followed a recently unemployed woman house sit a dog in an isolated home away from others. Reminded me a lot of the babysitters slasher movies and this was kinda creepy to read and the ending thus ended a bit abruptly yet i like the tone a lot. Li Fan's style if narrative was smartly used with the ending being told first and we trace back to the past of her before she becomes the Asian recycling lady 🥲.
September 29, 2024
Tomb Sweeping is a collection of slice-of-life stories focusing on the themes of family, relationships, and the Chinese diaspora. As with any short story collection, I found this to be a mixed bag, but the good stories outweigh the not-so-good ones. Also, I did find the writing to be really fresh and easy to read, it felt very personable and not to diagnose Alexandra Chang with anything but most of her characters seem very anxious and big-time overthinkers.
My favorite story was Me and My Algo which focuses on how technology has invaded our lives and seems to know us better than we do ourselves (or does it). Other than that one, To Get Rich is Glorious was this feminist story about a woman giving the middle finger to Confucius and trying to do something for herself, it was fun. A Visit made me quite sad in the best way, it’s about a woman being visited by her now-old father. Special mention to Klara, Phenotype, Unknown by Unknown, and Cure for Life for the messages they made too, they were cute/fun.
The rest, including Tomb Sweeping, didn’t really do anything for me. I’m also tired of the cat obsession in books (and everywhere) so I just mostly eye-rolled to Cat Personalities.
My favorite story was Me and My Algo which focuses on how technology has invaded our lives and seems to know us better than we do ourselves (or does it). Other than that one, To Get Rich is Glorious was this feminist story about a woman giving the middle finger to Confucius and trying to do something for herself, it was fun. A Visit made me quite sad in the best way, it’s about a woman being visited by her now-old father. Special mention to Klara, Phenotype, Unknown by Unknown, and Cure for Life for the messages they made too, they were cute/fun.
The rest, including Tomb Sweeping, didn’t really do anything for me. I’m also tired of the cat obsession in books (and everywhere) so I just mostly eye-rolled to Cat Personalities.
March 17, 2023
This collection of short stories exploring human connection, and grief was fantastic.
As with an short story collection, you connect with some stories over others. I luckily connected with a lot of them. Death, family, searching for community, and ones roll in society are all explored here.
The first story that was a stand out was Li Fan. We get the story of a woman told in reverse, starting with her death and how the town thought of her. Moving back to her childhood and letting us know her hopes and dreams. Farewell, Hank was another stand out. A wife has a living funeral for her husband so the community can pay respect while he is still here.
Chang also has woven in a wonderful sense of humor throughout many of the stories here. A particular favorite of mine being Me and My Algo, where a woman is terrorized by her algorithm after handing over to much control. The fear of realizing the power she gave up was fascinating.
•”My algo says it has nothing to do with shaping who I am. It only reflects back to me what I want, then shows me the way.”
A few of my other favorites were To Get Rich Is Glorious, Flies, Tomb Sweeping and Persona Development.
As with an short story collection, you connect with some stories over others. I luckily connected with a lot of them. Death, family, searching for community, and ones roll in society are all explored here.
The first story that was a stand out was Li Fan. We get the story of a woman told in reverse, starting with her death and how the town thought of her. Moving back to her childhood and letting us know her hopes and dreams. Farewell, Hank was another stand out. A wife has a living funeral for her husband so the community can pay respect while he is still here.
Chang also has woven in a wonderful sense of humor throughout many of the stories here. A particular favorite of mine being Me and My Algo, where a woman is terrorized by her algorithm after handing over to much control. The fear of realizing the power she gave up was fascinating.
•”My algo says it has nothing to do with shaping who I am. It only reflects back to me what I want, then shows me the way.”
A few of my other favorites were To Get Rich Is Glorious, Flies, Tomb Sweeping and Persona Development.
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