Inheritance by Lan Samantha Chang [in AsianWeek]
Chang’s debut novel, following her memorable short story collection Hunger, is filled with complex characters and intricate details about their troubled lives. At its center is the narrator, Hong, a woman caught in multi-layered, multi-generational betrayals beginning in tumultuous 1930s China and ending in 1990s New York and California. While Chang is undoubtedly a superbly talented writer (you will want to finish this book), her characters’ inability to forgive gets tedious by the end – but then, since admitting to needing any sort of counseling in traditional Asian families is akin to publicly declaring insanity, perhaps it’s an exercise in cultural accuracy.
Review: “New and Notable Books,” AsianWeek, September 10, 2004
Readers: Adult
Published: 2004
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