Check out my review of Deanna Fei’s A Thread of Sky on the SideStreet Review website. This review may also be found in the newest (June 2010) issue of the magazine.
Though my review of A Thread of Sky is already quite enthusiastic as it is, I’d just like to take this blog post space to state exactly how much I liked this book in a more colloquial way:
Out of the 33 books that I’ve read to date this year, Fei’s novel is one of my favorite novels of them all. It is beautifully written and, to me, it was deeply touching. I am not exactly sure how to describe the chord that it resonated within me. Perhaps I found her novel so relevant because it was able to do what I have been trying to do with my own writing: tell a tale from the position of a distinctly female, Asian American writer.
When someone states the above – “female, Asian American” – a series of stereotypes arise. In my opinion, the female Asian American occupies a certain space in accordance to gender and race. Despite how progressive our society is, the label of “female” writing still often conjures up ideas of books that are distinctly feminist or emotional or descriptive in a certain gendered way. Furthermore, the “American” perspective is often overpowered by the word “Asian” that precedes it – a word that connotes exoticism and alternative culture.
As a result of the above, even I myself am hesitant to refer books as “female, Asian American literature” because the description comes with so much baggage. Because of the terms’ connotations, assumptions about books that fall into this category can easily be made and, as a result, such books may be easily overlooked or dismissed.
Because we live in such a hybridized society, however, I don’t believe that its fair to lump books into one “female” or “Asian” or even “Asian American” experience. My own experience of being “female Asian American” and of knowing others of “my type” lends itself to stories of variety and difference rather than the generic stereotypes that attend the label.
A Thread of Sky struck a chord with me so strongly because it was capable of portraying the story of multiple Asian American women that could not be described as strictly “female” or “Asian” or “American”. I fell in love with the way Fei reflectively portrayed the hybrid life of Asian American women – lives that were lived in the in-between that results from being oneself and yet also being a “model stereotype” for others.
Anyways, I’m not too sure if any of the above made sense, but I suppose all I can say is: Read Deanna Fei’s novel. It is awesome.
And read my review too. It is not as awesome, I think, because it fails to say much of what I truly felt the novel did, but I wrote it, so read it, too! : )
