May is Asian Heritage Month here in Canada, so I’m recommending some Asian American or Asian Canadian authors that I’ve really enjoyed. The genres are varied, but what the books have in common are strong characters, fluid writing, and a good sense of humour.
Here are my recommendations, in no particular order:
A gorgeous romance that’s both Asian and Canadian? Be still my patriotic heart. The Stand-In by Lily Chu is like the plot of a dreamy romcom. Gracie Reed is going through a very bad time, until she’s mistaken for a famous Chinese actress who’s working in Toronto. Opportunity knocks in the form of a job as the actress’s secret stand-in. From the hilarity of Gracie’s stumbles in her new role to the poignancy of her struggles to care for her ailing mother, this book covers all the emotional bases. And who doesn’t love a good Cinderella story? I listened to the audiobook with the hero’s perfect Anglo-Chinese accent. Swoon.
But wait, there’s more—more Canadian romance, that is. My list of auto-buy authors is pretty short, but Uzma Jalaluddin tops it. I’ve already raved about her first book, Ayesha at Last, here, and I enjoyed her second book even more. Of course, when you read authors from different backgrounds, you expand your understanding of other people and cultures. In Hana Khan Carries On, Jalaluddin goes one step further, she inspired a shock of realization about my own experiences as a third-generation immigrant. Our issues feel so much less than those our parents endured, yet our complaints are valid too. As usual, when I discuss Jalaluddin’s books, I get carried away with the social awareness she layers in. Instead I should be raving about the humour, the familiar Toronto settings, and the fascinating characters. And so much delicious food description, yum.
Maurene Goo is also on my auto-buy list. Her Young Adult stories of Korean-American heroines navigating life and love are refreshing and fun. All her books are excellent, but a good starter would be I Believe in a Thing Called Love, where the awkward heroine uses the K-dramas her dad adores as a blueprint for winning the man of her dreams. I had never watched a K-drama before I read this, but thanks to Goo and the pandemic, I’ve now watched dozens. (My current favs are Vincenzo, Crash Landing on You, and Business Proposal, in case you wanted to binge.) Or if you prefer foodie books, The Way You Make Me Feel, stars a food truck as well as warring enemies-turned-friends.
YA books do seem to offer a wider variety of Asian characters than adult fiction. I’ve read books about teenagers who are Taiwanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and many more. Maybe it’s because high school is that one universal experience most of us can relate to. Well, how about a Chinese/Vietnamese heroine and a half-Japanese hero? Not Here to Be Liked by Michelle Quach has both in a very diverse high school setting. Eliza Quan, the rebellious heroine, doesn’t care about popularity, she just wants her deserved role as editor of the school paper. She is prickly, smart, and hilariously self-aware. It’s not often that I actually laugh aloud while reading, but this book is both feminist and funny.
Joan is Okay by Weike Wang is a recent read and an excellent piece of contemporary fiction. The narrative voice of Joan is strong and intriguing, giving a rounded portrait of this ICU doctor—-her strengths and limitations. The story is full of unexpected twists, much like Joan herself. Deviation from the norm is seen as something that needs to be corrected, but not here. I laughed so many times while reading this book, yet there’s deeper layer where Joan’s buried emotional issues centred the story.
Reading a book about a pandemic written before the actual pandemic is an eerie experience. I almost quit in the first chapter when I realized what it was about. That would have been a shame. Ling Ma manages to turn a plague into a critique of societal values in Severance. Candace Chen has to prove she’s a survivor when faced with all the challenges of “Shen Fever.” This book has so many things I hate reading about: millennial musing, zombies, and damaged families. Yet I loved Severance’s whip-smart and sardonic send-ups of modern life. Candace’s cool detached persona makes her the solid centre of a world gone mad.
I do read a lot of Japanese authors, both those from Japan and Japanese-American ones. I’m still looking for a favourite Japanese-American romance, so hit me up in the comments if you have suggestions. But I do have a Japanese-American recommendation for you. We Are Not Free by Traci Chee is a very moving book. It’s a YA book that tells the story of fourteen different teenagers during the internment of World War II. While the premise sounds bleak, the spirit and personality of each teenager transcends the events. They’re young and adaptable, and their lives are joyful at times—which reminds me of my mother’s stories of her camp experiences. I listened to the audiobook version of this book, it’s excellent with a different voice for each character. And I cried buckets at the end, but sometimes that’s exactly the reading experience I want.
The last book is one I finished yesterday—proving that my procrastination in writing this post has paid off. The Verifiers by Jane Pek could be classified as a mystery, but it’s more than that. Claudia Lin has just landed her dream job: investigating too-good to be true on-line daters. But between her fractious family and the implosion of her first case, Claudia’s life gets turned upside down and she needs to draw on all her strengths to find out the truth. The perfect book for those—-like me—-who are addicted to true crime podcasts and wonder if we could actually solve a crime.
I hope you found something that interests you in this list. As a Japanese-Canadian, I enjoy reading about the experiences of other Asian cultures in North American. There are similarities between us, of course. But the best books transcend cultural differences to strike a universal note that will touch anyone’s mind and heart.
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