Happy Release Day!
Congrats Jamie
on the release of
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy!
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford
Asian American Literature & Fiction, 384 pages
Published August 2, 2022 by Atria Books
The New York Times bestselling author of the “mesmerizing and evocative” (Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet returns with a powerful exploration of the love that binds one family across the generations.
Dorothy Moy breaks her own heart for a living.
As Washington’s former poet laureate, that’s how she describes channeling her dissociative episodes and mental health struggles into her art. But when her five-year-old daughter exhibits similar behavior and begins remembering things from the lives of their ancestors, Dorothy believes the past has truly come to haunt her. Fearing that her child is predestined to endure the same debilitating depression that has marked her own life, Dorothy seeks radical help.
Through an experimental treatment designed to mitigate inherited trauma, Dorothy intimately connects with past generations of women in her family: Faye Moy, a nurse in China serving with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, a student in England at a famous school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl quarantined in San Francisco during a plague epidemic; Greta Moy, a tech executive with a unique dating app; and Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America.
As painful recollections affect her present life, Dorothy discovers that trauma isn’t the only thing she’s inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. A stranger who’s loved her through all of her genetic memories. Dorothy endeavors to break the cycle of pain and abandonment, to finally find peace for her daughter, and gain the love that has long been waiting, knowing she may pay the ultimate price.
My thoughts about The Many Daughters of Afong Moy ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"Faye Moy signed a contract stating that she would never marry."
What a wonderful, complicated story! There are a lot of characters, all descendants of Afong Moy. They each live their lives—some having an easy time of it, others having to endue hard times. They all experience some drama and stress but they manage to get through it. What strong women they all are!
This story shows us how interconnected we are to our past. How much of the experiences and traumas that our ancestors went through manifest in our own lives? Dorothy sees some of her issues starting to exhibit in her young daughter. As she seeks answers to her problems to help herself, and her daughter, she connects with the women in her family who have gone before her. Understanding them will only help herself and give everyone some peace.
Like I said this was a bit complicated considering all the different time frames and the various characters but stick with it. The ending was extremely satisfyingly for me and I came away with a feel-good feeling. I'm so glad I read this book. Jamie Ford has done it again!
I received an ARC of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Jamie Ford’s debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, spent two years on the New York Times bestseller list and went on to win the 2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Jamie’s work has been published in 34 languages. Also, because Jamie feels weird writing about himself in the 3rd person, he’s going to say…
Hi, this is me.
Not a publicist. Not some weird aggregated bit of web-content, just little ol’ me, the author, sitting here in my favorite Batman pajamas (yes, I have several pairs) writing this note in my cozy home office, dog at my feet. Her name is Lucy and she’s twitching right now, obviously chasing squirrels in her dreams.
While we’re chatting, I should mention that my latest novel novel, The Many Daughters of Afong Moy, is now available for pre-order :)
If you’re looking for more things that have spilled out of my brain, I have steampunk storiess in The End is Nigh, The End is Now, and The End Has Come (The Apocalypse Triptych). Also a tale in Stories from Suffragette City.
Lest I forget, I have a story in Anonymous Sex, but I'm not allowed to say which story is mine.
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