Jade Peony

Rating:
Summary: Barriers
Review: This novel which reads like three mini-memoirs is entrancing. It tells the story of three Chinese children who have to deal with barriers, both real and perceived, resulting from their alien-ness in Canada in the years leading up to WWII. The stories also expertly describe the desire of the Chinese aliens to remain true to their roots in an era of largescale technological and scientific advances.


Imagined barriers like Liang's fear of the Monkey King are crushed and good things arise. Internal barriers are erected by Jung to protect himself from his own homosexual feelings. Sekky, the youngest child, was protected from birth by his grandmother because of his frailty and loses his senses temporarily when she is no longer around to protect him. His babysitter suffers terribly for her cross-barrier love for a Japanese boy. Not all barriers are right and not all are wrong and not all should be torn down.


Wayson Choy writes beautifully and is thorough in his research of the time period. This is one book that would be a welcome addition to anyone's bookcase.

Rating:
Summary: Wayson Choy - A talented story teller and delightful man
Review: Wayson Choy's novel is, like the man himself, fascinating. The novel is told in an extremely thoughtful and caring manner. Wayson Choy displays obvious compassion for the community in which he was raised. The novel never drags and is filled with delightful side stories to enchant the reader's imagination. After reading this novel I cannot wait to move on to his second novel, Paper Shadows.