05 May / Midnight at the Dragon Café by Judy Fong Bates [in AsianWeek]
Su-Jen becomes “Annie” when she immigrates to Canada at age 6 with her mother. Her father has set up a Chinese restaurant, and in the small Ontario town in the 1960s, the Chous are the only Chinese family. Su-Jen adapts and flourishes, but her mother becomes emotionally isolated. The arrival of Su-Jen’s much older half-brother upsets the already precarious family balance, and the young Su-Jen becomes the keeper of unsaid secrets and betrayals. This is one impressive debut novel.
Review: “New and Notable Books, AsianWeek, May 5, 2005
Readers: Adult
Published: 2005