The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Novel

A Chinese woman came to America as an performer. The world lots interest in her when she stopped performing. However, she continued to live with the trauma of her life. Her descendents also had their own personal trauma. Even when things seemed to be going well, something would arise to cause them to spin into mental distress. 

This novel intersperses the stories of the lives of women across multiple generation in the past and future. There is the performer that met Andrew Jackson, the girl that escaped a San Francisco cholera epidemic, a 1920s boarding school student, a 1940s nurse, a 2014 computer programmer and a woman in the future undergoing an epigenetic therapy. Each had their own degree of joy and sorrow. In the end, the woman of the future is able to envision the small changes that could turn the sorrows into joy. This also helps her to find the joy in life and end the downward spiral that occurs after bed events.

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Forde

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a sappy tween love story that yanks on the heart strings. The story alternates between Seattle during World War II and Seattle of the mid 80s. Henry Lee is the son of strong Chinese nationalist father. He gets a "scholarship" to a white school, where he works in the kitchen with a Japanese girl, Keiko. Their friendship develops, much to the chagrin of his father. However, the Japanese internment separates the two. He manages to visit her in the camp on the Washington State fairgrounds as well as in Idaho. In the future, Henry has recently buried his wife and is watching his son come of age as he is graduating from college. Artifacts are discovered in the Panama hotel, and he searches through them to find remembrances of his youth.

The plot moves quickly and is loaded with vivid descriptions and street locations of Seattle of the 1940s. It makes you want to jump out and explore the International District (and wonder what was destroyed with the Freeway running right through there.) The Japanese Internment plays a big role in the story, with the emphasis on the decisions of individual people. There are few "evil" characters involved, yet some people's understanding of the "right thing" could be very harmful to others. Those who seek out the positive can remain happy regardless of the circumstances. The little bit of hope that is obtained can go a long way towards continuing on the path of happiness even when things appear miserable. (The Japanese do seem to be the master of making the best of a bad situation - It reminds me of the impeccable stadium and locker room after the Japanese soccer team lost.)

The love story stands well on its own. Two young kids are "forced" to advance their friendship by the circumstances of war. However, the same thing that hurries the relationship on also causes it to reach its premature end. Both are happy living their new life apart and with others. There is no need to look back at what had been. However, there is still opportunity to come back and celebrate the later life.

There is a complicated theme of family relationships. Fathers try to do what is best for their children. However, they can often pass along their own "bad behaviors" to their children even as they try to avoid them. There is also the relationship between Henry and a jazz street saxaphonist that winds its way through the story. They meet as Henry is going to the white school. They become friends and help each other out. The jazz music becomes a special unifying force among all of them.