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Midnight at the Dragon Café
Set in the 1960s, Judy Fong Bates’s much-talked-about debut novel is the story of a young girl, the daughter of a small Ontario town’s solitary Chinese family, whose life is changed over the course of one summer when she learns the burden of secrets. Through Su-Jen’s eyes, the hard life behind the scenes at the Dragon Café unfolds. As Su-Jen’s father works continually for a better future, her mother, a beautiful but embittered woman, settles uneasily into their new life. Su-Jen feels the weight of her mother’s unhappiness as Su-Jen’s life takes her outside the restaurant and far from the customs of the traditional past. When Su-Jen’s half-brother arrives, smouldering under the responsibilities he must bear as the dutiful Chinese son, he forms an alliance with Su-Jen’s mother, one that will have devastating consequences. Written in spare, intimate prose, Midnight at the Dragon Café is a vivid portrait of a childhood divided by two cultures and touched by unfulfilled longings and unspoken secrets.
From the Hardcover edition.
From the Hardcover edition.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
18 people are currently reading
954 people want to read
About the author
Judy Fong Bates
4 books18 followersJudy Fong-Bates is a Chinese-Canadian author who was was born in China. She came to Canada in 1955 with her mother after her father was established in Ontario. Her father operated a hand laundry when they came to Canada. She grew up to become an elementary school teacher in the city of Toronto, and has also taught creative writing at the University of Toronto. She currently lives with her husband on a farm in Southern Ontario.
Midnight at the Dragon Cafe was chosen as a notable book in 2006 but the American Library Association; in 2008 it received the Alex Award.
Midnight at the Dragon Cafe was chosen as a notable book in 2006 but the American Library Association; in 2008 it received the Alex Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 251 reviews
August 30, 2010
This novel feels a lot like a memoir but has a few shortcomings. The narrative traces the life of a young immigrant girl from China to Canada. Her family runs a greasy spoon cafe in a small town while they struggle to find themselves and build a new life. Annie doesn't seem particularly reflective, which is where the memoir feel is lost. I love memoirs because they impart a larger life lesson or show how the author found his or her way; this novel lacks that larger message.
February 1, 2015
If you like fast-paced, plot-driven books, this is not the book for you. If you like slow character development and stories that are true to life, you'll enjoy Midnight at the Dragon Cafe. A coming of age novel set in Canada, this novel explores the ups and mostly downs of being the only English-speaking member of the only Chinese family in a small American town. (and by America, I mean North America) Judy Fong Bates sets up a story of friendly love, forbidden passion, secrets and lies with a slow story arc that draws the reader into the moody tweenage mind of a girl caught between worlds and parents. Definitely a great addition to the Chinese-American women's literature genre, readers of Amy Tan's novels will appreciate a similar tapestry of Chinese history and tradition interwoven with the bittersweet happenings of a girl who wants little more than honesty, love and friendship.
January 1, 2009
This was a tough one. I liked it but it wasn't really a book, it was a story. A sad story that sort of trailed off at the end without an end that I really felt good about. In fact, it read like a story written about someone's past, a past which they were still kind of bitter about. So, was it an interesting look at what it was like to be Chinese in a frontier town in the 50s? Yes. Other than that, I kept waiting to see what the point of the book was!
August 10, 2011
This was a really good read. The story of recent immigrants to Canada has been told many ways and from many perspectives. This one rang true but in many ways defied convention or expectations. It also really made me want to eat some good Chinese food--not the food the characters made for their customers in small town Ontario in the 1960s, but the food they made for themselves after the restaurant was closed.
December 9, 2008
I very much wanted to like this book and thought I would, but I found the story hollow and predictable, the characters surprisingly flat, maybe because the narrator is a child. It could have been a lovely story, but to me it wasn't. And overall it was very melancholy.
January 8, 2022
3.5 stars rounded up
I am not sure why the average rating for this book isn't higher, because Bates writes well. I think the problem is that for some reason it has been marketed for the wrong audience somewhere? It won the ALA Alex award, but even though the protagonist and POV is a child, this reads as a novel for adults. This is a difficult book for some to relate to, I think, because Fong leaves more up to the reader to do rather than having the woman writing this do it. Given the story and what happens, rounding this up is a huge deal because I am not a fan of this type of plot/story.
This book is melancholy, as at least one reviewer mentioned, and as I rule I don't care for books such as this, but I think the mood fit the book because of all that it portrays. However, this is a very Canadian literary fiction novel (and of course not all Canadians like that, either) and of the 2 star or lower reviewers I checked to see where they are from where I could see their country (so NOT solid scientific data!) I noticed that most of them were American. I get it, really. Personally, I think the lack of protagonist reflection fits the story, and, to be honest, it is subtly hinted at throughout.
I am not sure why the average rating for this book isn't higher, because Bates writes well. I think the problem is that for some reason it has been marketed for the wrong audience somewhere? It won the ALA Alex award, but even though the protagonist and POV is a child, this reads as a novel for adults. This is a difficult book for some to relate to, I think, because Fong leaves more up to the reader to do rather than having the woman writing this do it. Given the story and what happens, rounding this up is a huge deal because I am not a fan of this type of plot/story.
This book is melancholy, as at least one reviewer mentioned, and as I rule I don't care for books such as this, but I think the mood fit the book because of all that it portrays. However, this is a very Canadian literary fiction novel (and of course not all Canadians like that, either) and of the 2 star or lower reviewers I checked to see where they are from where I could see their country (so NOT solid scientific data!) I noticed that most of them were American. I get it, really. Personally, I think the lack of protagonist reflection fits the story, and, to be honest, it is subtly hinted at throughout.
March 30, 2021
"I should be grateful, but at the same time it seemed that everything rested on me, that all the good things in my life and future seemed to be built on not just someone’s efforts but someone’s sacrifice, someone’s misfortunes."
This is a quiet, calm, and heartbreaking novel. While the first-person narrator is looking back at her childhood, understanding things that were mysterious to her then, this adult point of view never overshadows Su-Jen’s childish outlook. There is so much she cannot understand yet, about the subtle dynamics in her own family, about her friends and their parents. Thus, her narration can only hint at some of the topics in this books but this only made the way the events are told all the more intense and impressive to me. In a way, being dramatic and adding hyperbole and hyperbole is as easy at it is cheap. I do not claim there is no place for this in literature – I am, after all, a big fan of horror and Gothic writing – but the held back way in which Su-Jen, the adult, presents the incisive events of her childhood without extensive explanations or judgement was, for me, the central element that shaped my reading experience.
At its heart, this novel is about loneliness. Su-Jen, her parents, and, later, her half-brother live in close quarters that should leave no room for privacy, not to speak of secrets. Their physical closeness notwithstanding, each of these characters carries their own loneliness, their own grief, their own bitterness. This is not a family that talks about emotions, be they good or bad, and all the things that are not being spoken of trickle like a poison into everyday life. The secrecy, sadness, and resentment form a steady background noise that makes the moments of genuine love and connection all the more striking.
Su-Jen is in a difficult position. In contrast to her parents, who only speak broken English, she is completely fluent, and in contrast to her brother, she is not expected to take over the family restaurant. This gives her life an element of freedom that the rest of her family does not experience. On the other hand, though, as the youngest, who has, at some point, basically forgotten her early childhood in Hong Kong, she is removed from the family history and only slowly and partly uncovers the stories of her parents‘ lives. She feels Canadian, but for many of her classmates she always stays „that Chinese girl.“
Midnight at the Dragon Café is a novel that, no matter its heavy subject matters, never felt like a chore to read. Judy Fong Bates creates an atmosphere that is often melancholic and resigned, yes, but nevertheless evokes a sense of homeliness and I loved returning to this Ontario small town in the 60s again and again.
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This is a quiet, calm, and heartbreaking novel. While the first-person narrator is looking back at her childhood, understanding things that were mysterious to her then, this adult point of view never overshadows Su-Jen’s childish outlook. There is so much she cannot understand yet, about the subtle dynamics in her own family, about her friends and their parents. Thus, her narration can only hint at some of the topics in this books but this only made the way the events are told all the more intense and impressive to me. In a way, being dramatic and adding hyperbole and hyperbole is as easy at it is cheap. I do not claim there is no place for this in literature – I am, after all, a big fan of horror and Gothic writing – but the held back way in which Su-Jen, the adult, presents the incisive events of her childhood without extensive explanations or judgement was, for me, the central element that shaped my reading experience.
At its heart, this novel is about loneliness. Su-Jen, her parents, and, later, her half-brother live in close quarters that should leave no room for privacy, not to speak of secrets. Their physical closeness notwithstanding, each of these characters carries their own loneliness, their own grief, their own bitterness. This is not a family that talks about emotions, be they good or bad, and all the things that are not being spoken of trickle like a poison into everyday life. The secrecy, sadness, and resentment form a steady background noise that makes the moments of genuine love and connection all the more striking.
Su-Jen is in a difficult position. In contrast to her parents, who only speak broken English, she is completely fluent, and in contrast to her brother, she is not expected to take over the family restaurant. This gives her life an element of freedom that the rest of her family does not experience. On the other hand, though, as the youngest, who has, at some point, basically forgotten her early childhood in Hong Kong, she is removed from the family history and only slowly and partly uncovers the stories of her parents‘ lives. She feels Canadian, but for many of her classmates she always stays „that Chinese girl.“
Midnight at the Dragon Café is a novel that, no matter its heavy subject matters, never felt like a chore to read. Judy Fong Bates creates an atmosphere that is often melancholic and resigned, yes, but nevertheless evokes a sense of homeliness and I loved returning to this Ontario small town in the 60s again and again.
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December 10, 2021
This was marvelously written. Its told from the POV of the daughter Su-Jen. After reuniting with her father in Canada, she and her mom begin a life away from the stresses of the current climate in Hong Kong. She is six and able to adapt quickly but her mom struggled and in turn argued with the father. Its interesting to see the family dynamics at play while they struggle to find their place in a new town.
But then the loop came..****SpoilerAlert***
Her "brother" moves in with them to help with the family diner. Then the secrets begin, saving face and certain cultural traditions are expected despite everything. I felt as though I was reading a personal autobiography of her life. I grew to enjoy certain characters and hate others but each one had enough depth to invoke a feeling from me.
So get this book, grab a coffee, light a candle and prepare to shed a tear or two.
But then the loop came..****SpoilerAlert***
Her "brother" moves in with them to help with the family diner. Then the secrets begin, saving face and certain cultural traditions are expected despite everything. I felt as though I was reading a personal autobiography of her life. I grew to enjoy certain characters and hate others but each one had enough depth to invoke a feeling from me.
So get this book, grab a coffee, light a candle and prepare to shed a tear or two.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2022
I'm between a 3 and a 4 on this one. I think I'm having trouble as it was so Different from what I expected, though I'm not even sure what I WAS expecting. It was very well-written and it is easy to become immersed in this world. But all the secrets, and the face-saving, it really bothered me and didn't feel right. I understand this is a cultural difference and possibly a generational difference to boot; I'm just glad I am not in any of these character's situations.
Racism, loss, loneliness, sorrow, anger and resentment vs forgiveness, adultery, swearing (light), isolation, depression, death.
Racism, loss, loneliness, sorrow, anger and resentment vs forgiveness, adultery, swearing (light), isolation, depression, death.
June 1, 2025
A depressing, yet incredibly relatable story about a Chinese immigrant family who struggles to adapt to their new life in a small town in Canada. It felt so real, almost like I was reading about someone's childhood. Annie, like many immigrant children, got overlooked due to her parents working hard at their restaurant, but also because of other intense family drama between her mother, father, and half-brother.
I found some parts to be irrelevant or slow, wondering when I would get back to the main story at hand. Most of all, I wanted more of an ending because it didn't seem like there was actual closure or an explanation of what becomes of Annie and her family after some tragic events.
I found some parts to be irrelevant or slow, wondering when I would get back to the main story at hand. Most of all, I wanted more of an ending because it didn't seem like there was actual closure or an explanation of what becomes of Annie and her family after some tragic events.
Read
March 10, 2024DNF before page 40.
Too much of a list, not enough story or conflict.
Too much of a list, not enough story or conflict.
June 11, 2020
Maybe it was because I was reading the novel during the BLM movement, but I became more acutely aware and almost felt the struggles of Chinese immigrants in small towns in Canada.
It’s not a story I haven’t heard before, but written and told from the eyes of a young child and her learning the sacrifices her parents made for her makes it even more emotional for me.
Things were easier for my parents, they came for university so at least learnt English and ended up having a job (my mom) and starting a company, that wasn’t a restaurant (my dad). But hearing their stories and remembering my childhood years I know how hard they worked.
The storyline revolves around the Chinese saying to hek fuh, how to swallow bitterness. The story beautifully translates what this means, but in a beautiful and hopeful way.
It’s not a story I haven’t heard before, but written and told from the eyes of a young child and her learning the sacrifices her parents made for her makes it even more emotional for me.
Things were easier for my parents, they came for university so at least learnt English and ended up having a job (my mom) and starting a company, that wasn’t a restaurant (my dad). But hearing their stories and remembering my childhood years I know how hard they worked.
The storyline revolves around the Chinese saying to hek fuh, how to swallow bitterness. The story beautifully translates what this means, but in a beautiful and hopeful way.
January 25, 2018
I was so close to giving this book 5 stars... But I will give it 4.5....
Nice quick read.... With a message.... 'hek fuh'
Nice quick read.... With a message.... 'hek fuh'
September 12, 2022
This was a quiet visit to a small Ontario town in the 1960s. It was a simple straightforward structure. The characters were well developed and the plot was interesting.
June 28, 2011
Wow, I am blown away by this story, I am just past the half way mark, so far sooo great!
February 16th just finished reading the book, it is pretty awesome, I never want to give away the content of the story, however it holds all sorts of twists and turns
Canada has thousands of small towns, each one having a Chinese Restaurant, this book will give you some insight into what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a family which owns one of these restaurants.
Having immigrated to Canada I can relate to the major change, and upheaval immigrating can cause, language, culture etc., The book written so elequently by Judy Fong Bates is pure Canadiana, the hot summers, the severe winters, with the snow, the nearby lake freezing over. The real live characters, the surprising relationships between some of these characters, Annie the daughter who is witness to all this.
I will stop giving away any more details of this delightful book, get it! read it! You are in for a treat. I am going to read China dog and Other Stories" what a find Judy is, I plan on reccommending this to the bookclub I belong to.
February 16th just finished reading the book, it is pretty awesome, I never want to give away the content of the story, however it holds all sorts of twists and turns
Canada has thousands of small towns, each one having a Chinese Restaurant, this book will give you some insight into what goes on behind the scenes in the life of a family which owns one of these restaurants.
Having immigrated to Canada I can relate to the major change, and upheaval immigrating can cause, language, culture etc., The book written so elequently by Judy Fong Bates is pure Canadiana, the hot summers, the severe winters, with the snow, the nearby lake freezing over. The real live characters, the surprising relationships between some of these characters, Annie the daughter who is witness to all this.
I will stop giving away any more details of this delightful book, get it! read it! You are in for a treat. I am going to read China dog and Other Stories" what a find Judy is, I plan on reccommending this to the bookclub I belong to.
November 18, 2007
I really enjoyed the cultural aspects of this book. Sometimes I felt like there was so much going on behind the scenes, in the dialogue, I almost needed a translation as to what was actually occurring. Nonetheless, it was an interesting topic, exploring the family dynamic when the family itself seems to be made up of two different cultures. I see why Multnomah County decided to make it the Everybody Reads book.
However, I felt like the end seemed rushed - almost as if it were a separate book than the beginning portion. There were also other sections that seemed somewhat arbitrary, as if her editor made her throw them in there to bulk up the chapter. While we're on pet peeves, I don't like it when an author follows up an event with a sentence like, "If only I knew how closely our lives would soon be entwined" or something else to that effect. There were a lot of those (I call them "leading indicators") in this book.
However, I felt like the end seemed rushed - almost as if it were a separate book than the beginning portion. There were also other sections that seemed somewhat arbitrary, as if her editor made her throw them in there to bulk up the chapter. While we're on pet peeves, I don't like it when an author follows up an event with a sentence like, "If only I knew how closely our lives would soon be entwined" or something else to that effect. There were a lot of those (I call them "leading indicators") in this book.
May 23, 2012
Chosen as the 'Toronto One' book for a good reason. I couldn't put it down and hated to finish it. Now what shall I read?
Postscript: Since I was so impressed with Judy Fong Bates' novel "Midnight at the Dragon Cafe", I decided to read her autobiographical novel "The Year of Finding Memory" about her personal history and literal journey to China to better understand her parents and family history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in family history and the immigrant experience in Canada.
I liked this Chinese proverb: "The first generation plants the tree; the next generation enjoys the shade."
Postscript: Since I was so impressed with Judy Fong Bates' novel "Midnight at the Dragon Cafe", I decided to read her autobiographical novel "The Year of Finding Memory" about her personal history and literal journey to China to better understand her parents and family history. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in family history and the immigrant experience in Canada.
I liked this Chinese proverb: "The first generation plants the tree; the next generation enjoys the shade."
February 19, 2014
This story is a lovely layering of childhood alliances, allegiances and tragedy. Told through the eyes of a child we experience the joys and stuggles of an immigrant Chinese family running a restaurant in small town Ontario. They endure isolation and racism with admirable determination. Those who were too old for education work hard to continue the business while making the sacrifices required so the narrator can get an education and be free of the drudgery. Love, passion, dignity, fate and tradition all intermingle to create a story worth reading.
February 11, 2008
"Where are your morals people?!" you want to yell at a couple of the people in the book. Plus such depressing lives - towards the end of the story the characters were so pathetic. The author was very predictable. I found myself thinking, "They are going to have an affair" "she's gonna make the wife pregnant with her lover's baby, can this get any worse" chapters before she reveals the "twist", surprise.
Was disappointed by this book.
Was disappointed by this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2008
I read this book to help our exchange student with her homework. She had to read it for school. It is an intersting book. I would like to know how much of it is true in the authors life or in the lifes of those she knew growing up as a Chinese born Canadian. I reading it, but it reminded me that every family has hidden secrets and there is no perfect family. We all struggle in this game called life.
March 10, 2015
A family comming to Canada from China, for a better life. They have taken over a Chinese Restruant outside of Toronto. The daughter adapts well to life in Canada, however her mother keeps all the Chinese superstitions and does not learn English. She is not happy. Their life revolves around the restruant. Life just goes on not really changing to the next generation. I was hopeing for a better ending.
August 15, 2009
A family comes to Canada from Communist China in the late 1950's. They own a Chinese restaurant in rural Ontario that consumes them. Su-Jen Chou tells her story--her life as the only Chinese girl in her high school-- in this deeply affecting coming-of-age novel of family secrets. A memorable, well-told story that reads like a memoir.
December 30, 2017
I read this in 2005 or 2006 in University and loved it. It was then that I was introduced to diasporas. I have re-read this in one day now to refresh my memory for book club next week. So much of Su-Jen’s experience is like my own as a child immigrant. It’s raw and a little unsettling - but a story that I am glad has been told.
November 4, 2014
This book started off strong, and there are moments of awkwardness with Annie that are spot on with young girls. I also liked the mountain of unspoken communication, which happens with most families. But as the story progresses it becomes stranger and less realistic. The last section of the book sort of drops off from making hard choices. Unfortunately, the book ends with a whimper.
February 7, 2017
I give this book 5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. I thought about my own parents and how life must have been when they moved from their country and made Canada their home. I got attached to many of the characters in this book. I found the style of writing to be very entertaining and could not put this book down. I can't wait to read the other books this authors written.
May 9, 2013
Judy Fong Bates does a masterful job of drawing the reader into the world of her heroine. The reader feels the tense atmosphere at the cafe when Su Jen's world is turned upside down. I could not pull myself away from this book.
January 6, 2020
SPOILERS!!!
This book is set in a small town in Canada in the 1960's and it follows the life of a family of Chinese immigrants. The book starts when Su-Jen, a 7 year old girl, and her mother move to china to live with Su-Jen's father who has already been living in Canada for about 5 years. He owns a restaurant called the dragon cafe and that is how Su Jen's family makes enough money to sustain themselves. When Su-Jen arrives, she starts kindergarten and is easily able to learn English and adapt to the Canadian lifestyle. Her mother on the other hand does not like living in Canada and she is unable to make any friends. During the first few months, everyone in the family is able to tolerate each other although neither of Su-Jen's parents love each other. However, everything changes when Su-Jen's older brother Lee Kung moves in with them. Lee Kung is there to help out at the dragon cafe. At first when Lee Kung arrives, Su-jen is very excited to have a new person in the family but she quickly learns that Lee Kung's arrival only means more misery for her mother and the rest of her family. She learns that Lee Kung is her father's son that he had with a different wife who died back in China. Her mother misses China so much but Lee Kung cheers her up so she begins to have an affair with him. Su-Jen figures out very quickly and is terrified of what might happen to the family if her father ever found out about it. As the years go on, everyone in the family says less and less to each other as Su-Jen realizes that everyone in her family, including her father know about the affair. AT the end of the book, Su-Jen's mother gets pregnant with Lee Kung's baby so she moves to Toronto to live with her sister in Chinatown. She is much happier there but the family is forever split apart.
The book explores three major themes: family, loneliness, and isolation. The theme of family was greatly explored as it shows how families are not perfect and have many problems. In Su-Jen's family, her parents do not love each other and rarely speak to each other, they only got married to give their kids a better life. The book really shows all the sacrifices that Su-Jen's parents made to give her and everyone else in the family a better life then what they have. Another theme of the book is loneliness and isolation. When Su-Jen's mother arrives in Canada, she does not speak any English and does not know anyone. She often talks about how great life was back in China and as te book goes on she smiles less and less and not many things seem to make her happy. She often says that Su-Jen is the only thing in her life worth living for as she has made so many sacrifices to give her daughter a better life away from the communists in China.
I really liked the book so I gave it 5 stars. Although there was not a lot of action that happened in the book, I thought that book was a great story about the life of Su-Jen as the only English speaker in a family of Canadian immigrants. The book explained in great details the struggles of the family while also showing how the parents kept to their Chinese roots. I enjoyed the writer's style of writing because the whole book felt like a story and I was really able to understand what Su-Jen's life was like. This book is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.
This book is set in a small town in Canada in the 1960's and it follows the life of a family of Chinese immigrants. The book starts when Su-Jen, a 7 year old girl, and her mother move to china to live with Su-Jen's father who has already been living in Canada for about 5 years. He owns a restaurant called the dragon cafe and that is how Su Jen's family makes enough money to sustain themselves. When Su-Jen arrives, she starts kindergarten and is easily able to learn English and adapt to the Canadian lifestyle. Her mother on the other hand does not like living in Canada and she is unable to make any friends. During the first few months, everyone in the family is able to tolerate each other although neither of Su-Jen's parents love each other. However, everything changes when Su-Jen's older brother Lee Kung moves in with them. Lee Kung is there to help out at the dragon cafe. At first when Lee Kung arrives, Su-jen is very excited to have a new person in the family but she quickly learns that Lee Kung's arrival only means more misery for her mother and the rest of her family. She learns that Lee Kung is her father's son that he had with a different wife who died back in China. Her mother misses China so much but Lee Kung cheers her up so she begins to have an affair with him. Su-Jen figures out very quickly and is terrified of what might happen to the family if her father ever found out about it. As the years go on, everyone in the family says less and less to each other as Su-Jen realizes that everyone in her family, including her father know about the affair. AT the end of the book, Su-Jen's mother gets pregnant with Lee Kung's baby so she moves to Toronto to live with her sister in Chinatown. She is much happier there but the family is forever split apart.
The book explores three major themes: family, loneliness, and isolation. The theme of family was greatly explored as it shows how families are not perfect and have many problems. In Su-Jen's family, her parents do not love each other and rarely speak to each other, they only got married to give their kids a better life. The book really shows all the sacrifices that Su-Jen's parents made to give her and everyone else in the family a better life then what they have. Another theme of the book is loneliness and isolation. When Su-Jen's mother arrives in Canada, she does not speak any English and does not know anyone. She often talks about how great life was back in China and as te book goes on she smiles less and less and not many things seem to make her happy. She often says that Su-Jen is the only thing in her life worth living for as she has made so many sacrifices to give her daughter a better life away from the communists in China.
I really liked the book so I gave it 5 stars. Although there was not a lot of action that happened in the book, I thought that book was a great story about the life of Su-Jen as the only English speaker in a family of Canadian immigrants. The book explained in great details the struggles of the family while also showing how the parents kept to their Chinese roots. I enjoyed the writer's style of writing because the whole book felt like a story and I was really able to understand what Su-Jen's life was like. This book is a great read and I would recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2021
I would classify this as historical fiction. This is a fascinating and well-written coming of age story that explores the Chinese - Canadian immigrant situation during the cultural revolution in China. It is written in 1st person by a young Chinese girl named Su-Jen Chou living in the 1960's. She is very observant of her surroundings, family dynamics, and cultural distinctions. The characters are vivid in description and well developed. It is memorable, heart-warming as well as heart-wrenching, poignant, and true to life. The reader is drawn into the prose of detailed descriptions of people, food, cultures, living quarters, etc. and captures a place and time that I had never been exposed to before.
At the age of six, Su-Jen and her mother, Lai-Jing Chou travel to the small Canadian town of Irvine not far from Toronto. Her father, Hing-Wun Chou and his oldest friend, Doon-Yat Lim had already immigrated five years earlier and bought the Dragon Cafe. Her elderly father is traditional and kindly. Her mother didn't want to leave China, but she left to provide a better life for Su-Jen. The restaurant could be described as a Canadian/Chinese "greasy spoon". They eat traditional Chinese food after the cafe is closed. The 1st thing Su-Jen must do upon entering school is to change her name to Annie - it's easier for the "lo-fons" (non-Chinese whites) to pronounce. She quickly adapts to Canadian life, the English language, and being the center of her parents' lives. They live a lonely life isolated by language and the long hours at the cafe - the only Chinese family in town. Their living quarters is a cramped space above the cafe, and Annie must sleep between her parents at night. But Annie is also caught between two cultures, experiences racial discrimination, and is gradually overburdened with family secrets.
When Yat wants to retire, Annie's good-looking step-brother arrives to do the cooking at the Dragon Cafe. Lee-Kung is her father's son from a previous marriage. Working in the kitchen, he smolders under the responsibilities of being a dutiful son. One of these duties is marrying and having a family. Ultimately, he will be forced to marry a mail-order bride from China. In the mean-time, he begins having an affair with his step-mother. They fall in love. It's all a big secret and not acknowledged at all.
Everyone in the family is ignoring the obvious. Annie gradually learns the truth and is, once again, caught in the middle. She develops a friendship with a spirited classmate named Charlotte. Charlotte's home is very disorganized; but she has loving parents, and Annie feels at home there. Annie's mother has become a miserable, bitter woman yearning for her home in China and anxious about the arrival of Mai-Yee, the new bride. Lai-Jing has not learned English and has made no friends. Annie's mother is also culturally superstitious and has always warned Su-Jen to stay away from something that could be very dangerous. At the end, there is a major twist and tragedy strikes, and her mother's premonitions come true but not for Annie.
This book is lyrical and engaging. If you are interested in a plot and a thrilling adventure, then this book is not for you. It is more of a flashback of a slice of life. It explores loneliness, passions, joys, heartaches, lies, and the complexities of family life, forgiveness, and moving on. Highly recommended.
At the age of six, Su-Jen and her mother, Lai-Jing Chou travel to the small Canadian town of Irvine not far from Toronto. Her father, Hing-Wun Chou and his oldest friend, Doon-Yat Lim had already immigrated five years earlier and bought the Dragon Cafe. Her elderly father is traditional and kindly. Her mother didn't want to leave China, but she left to provide a better life for Su-Jen. The restaurant could be described as a Canadian/Chinese "greasy spoon". They eat traditional Chinese food after the cafe is closed. The 1st thing Su-Jen must do upon entering school is to change her name to Annie - it's easier for the "lo-fons" (non-Chinese whites) to pronounce. She quickly adapts to Canadian life, the English language, and being the center of her parents' lives. They live a lonely life isolated by language and the long hours at the cafe - the only Chinese family in town. Their living quarters is a cramped space above the cafe, and Annie must sleep between her parents at night. But Annie is also caught between two cultures, experiences racial discrimination, and is gradually overburdened with family secrets.
When Yat wants to retire, Annie's good-looking step-brother arrives to do the cooking at the Dragon Cafe. Lee-Kung is her father's son from a previous marriage. Working in the kitchen, he smolders under the responsibilities of being a dutiful son. One of these duties is marrying and having a family. Ultimately, he will be forced to marry a mail-order bride from China. In the mean-time, he begins having an affair with his step-mother. They fall in love. It's all a big secret and not acknowledged at all.
Everyone in the family is ignoring the obvious. Annie gradually learns the truth and is, once again, caught in the middle. She develops a friendship with a spirited classmate named Charlotte. Charlotte's home is very disorganized; but she has loving parents, and Annie feels at home there. Annie's mother has become a miserable, bitter woman yearning for her home in China and anxious about the arrival of Mai-Yee, the new bride. Lai-Jing has not learned English and has made no friends. Annie's mother is also culturally superstitious and has always warned Su-Jen to stay away from something that could be very dangerous. At the end, there is a major twist and tragedy strikes, and her mother's premonitions come true but not for Annie.
This book is lyrical and engaging. If you are interested in a plot and a thrilling adventure, then this book is not for you. It is more of a flashback of a slice of life. It explores loneliness, passions, joys, heartaches, lies, and the complexities of family life, forgiveness, and moving on. Highly recommended.
November 18, 2019
A simply told story of an immigrant family from China, from the pov of the young daughter, Annie, from the day she arrives in Canada at six years old with her mother. The story revolves around the family restaurant, and Annie's family, her mother, father and half-brother. We see how Annie makes friends, learns to speak English and ultimately becomes her family's link between their Chinese heritage and the world of 'lo Fons'. The novel is skillfully constructed and the unfolding of family secrets, fascinating, especially how silence and custom over ride an open resolution of conflicts.
I was happy to experience the story as having some things in common with my first novel, A Theory of Expanded Love. Although the two novels are quite different in tone from each other, both are first-person coming-of-age stories told from the pov of an observant adolescent girl. Both Annies puzzle over the presentational layers of their worlds, where things are not always as they seem. Both books take the reader into rich, otherwise inaccessible territory, both introduce us to memorable characters and haunting story lines.
I really enjoyed this book, so unadorned in its telling, so easy to understand all that links us. After finishing it, I was pleased to re-read the beginning, and soak up the story lines and predictions that were seeded in the set up of the story. This worthy book sneaks up on you!
I was happy to experience the story as having some things in common with my first novel, A Theory of Expanded Love. Although the two novels are quite different in tone from each other, both are first-person coming-of-age stories told from the pov of an observant adolescent girl. Both Annies puzzle over the presentational layers of their worlds, where things are not always as they seem. Both books take the reader into rich, otherwise inaccessible territory, both introduce us to memorable characters and haunting story lines.
I really enjoyed this book, so unadorned in its telling, so easy to understand all that links us. After finishing it, I was pleased to re-read the beginning, and soak up the story lines and predictions that were seeded in the set up of the story. This worthy book sneaks up on you!
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