Best of
Asian-Literature

2021

Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir


Elizabeth Miki Brina - 2021
    The language barrier and power imbalance that defined their early relationship followed them to the predominantly white, upstate New York suburb where they moved to raise their only daughter. There, Elizabeth grew up with the trappings of a typical American childhood and adolescence. Yet even though she felt almost no connection to her mother's distant home, she also felt out of place among her peers.Decades later, Elizabeth comes to recognize the shame and self-loathing that haunt both her and her mother, and attempts a form of reconciliation, not only to come to terms with the embattled dynamics of her family but also to reckon with the injustices that reverberate throughout the history of Okinawa and its people. Clear-eyed and profoundly humane, Speak, Okinawa is a startling accomplishment--a heartfelt exploration of identity, inheritance, forgiveness, and what it means to be an American.

Ghost Forest


Pik-Shuen Fung - 2021
    One of the many Hong Kong "astronaut" fathers, he stays there to work, while the rest of the family immigrated to Canada before the 1997 Handover, when the British returned sovereignty over Hong Kong to China.As she revisits memories of her father through the years, she struggles with unresolved questions and misunderstandings. Turning to her mother and grandmother for answers, she discovers her own life refracted brightly in theirs.Buoyant, heartbreaking, and unexpectedly funny, Ghost Forest is a slim novel that envelops the reader in joy and sorrow. Fung writes with a poetic and haunting voice, layering detail and abstraction, weaving memory and oral history to paint a moving portrait of a Chinese-Canadian astronaut family.

Beasts of a Little Land


Juhea Kim - 2021
    In an instant, their fates are connected—and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.In the aftermath, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver’s courtesan school, an act of desperation that will cement her place in the lowest social status. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer with a new romantic prospect of noble birth. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim’s unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation’s. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.

Tiger Daughter


Rebecca Lim - 2021
    That my life won’t even start,and that I’ll be stuck like this forever.Wen Zhou is the only child of Chinese immigrantswhose move to the lucky country has proven to be notso lucky. Wen and her friend, Henry Xiao — whosemum and dad are also struggling immigrants — bothdream of escape from their unhappy circumstances,and form a plan to sit an entrance exam to a selectivehigh school far from home. But when tragedy strikes, itwill take all of Wen’s resilience and resourcefulness toget herself and Henry through the storm that follows.Tiger Daughter is a novel that will grab holdof you and not let go.

Soul Lanterns


Shaw Kuzki - 2021
    She wasn't even born when the bombing of Hiroshima took place. Every year Nozomi joins her family at the lantern-floating ceremony to honor those lost in the bombing. People write the names of their deceased loved ones along with messages of peace, on paper lanterns and set them afloat on the river. This year Nozomi realizes that her mother always releases one lantern with no name. She begins to ask questions, and when complicated stories of loss and loneliness unfold, Nozomi and her friends come up with a creative way to share their loved ones' experiences. By opening people's eyes to the struggles they all keep hidden, the project teaches the entire community new ways to show compassion.Soul Lanterns is an honest exploration of what happened on August 6, 1945, and offers readers a glimpse not only into the rich cultural history of Japan but also into the intimate lives of those who recognize--better than most--the urgent need for peace.

Cursed Bunny


Bora Chung - 2021
    Blurring the lines between magical realism, horror, and science-fiction, Chung uses elements of the fantastic and surreal to address the very real horrors and cruelties of patriarchy and capitalism in modern society.Anton Hur’s translation skilfully captures the way Chung’s prose effortlessly glides from being terrifying to wryly humorous. Winner of a PEN/Heim Grant.

Days of Steel Rain: The Epic Story of a WWII Vengeance Ship in the Year of the Kamikaze


Brent E. Jones - 2021
    At its center lies U.S. Navy Captain George Dyer, who vowed to return to action after suffering a horrific wound. He accepted the ship's command in 1944, knowing it would be his last chance to avenge his injuries and salvage his career. Yet with the nation's resources and personnel stretched thin by the war, he found that just getting the ship into action would prove to be a battle.Tensions among the crew flared from the start. Astoria's sailors and Marines were a collection of replacements, retreads, and older men. Some were broken by previous traumatic combat, most had no desire to be in the war, yet all found themselves fighting an enemy more afraid of surrender than death.The reluctant ship was called to respond to challenges that its men never could have anticipated. From a typhoon where the ocean was enemy to daring rescue missions in the Philippines, a gallant turn at Iwo Jima, and the ultimate crucible against the Kamikaze at Okinawa, they endured the worst of the final year of the war at sea.Days of Steel Rain brings to life more than a decade of research and firsthand interviews, depicting with unprecedented insight the singular drama of a captain grappling with a prospective mutiny amidst some of the most brutal fighting of World War II. Throughout, Brent Jones fills the narrative with secret diaries, memoirs, letters, interpersonal conflicts, and the innermost thoughts of the Astoria men. Days of Steel Rain weaves an intimate, unforgettable portrait of leadership, heroism, endurance, and redemption.

That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! Omnibus 1


Yoko Nogiri - 2021
    Includes Vols. 1 and 2 of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!After some traumatic experiences, Komugi Kusunoki transferred from the city to start a new life in rural Hokkaido. But on her first day of school, the school heartthrob Yu Ogami blurts out, “You smell good!” Despite the hijinks, Komugi tries to adjust to her new school, but it’s not long before she stumbles across Yu dozing off under a tree. When she attempts to wake him up, he transformed…into a wolf?! It turns out that Yu is one of many other eccentric boys in her class year–and she’s the only one who knows their secret…!

A Goan Holiday: Romance and Drama and What-Might-Have-Beens


Anitha Perinchery - 2021
    Her busybody neighbour makes things worse by spreading rumours about Anjali’s lack of mental marbles and her... er... questionable morals.She goes to the beach café only for a little reprieve.Except she stumbles into Joe.Anjali never expected to see her brooding ex from college who vanished years ago without a single word to her. She doesn’t have time to rip his heart out and stomp on it. Or to kiss him.Nor does she expect to see Rishi, her perfect ex.He claims he wants her back.And why are both men so curious about the clinic’s problems?A Goan Holiday is a contemporary romance novel with nostalgia, drama, and a side of suspense to keep you guessing.Praise for A Goan HolidayKIRKUS: “An engaging tale about a love triangle featuring doctors set in beautiful Goa.”MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: “A Goan Holiday ramps up to include romance and intrigue... difficult to put down.”

Last Night with Tokyo Rose


Alexa Kang - 2021
    But in 1941, his country is not a friendly place for a Nisei. Being a son of Japanese immigrants, he’s never American enough. As Japan and the United States edge to the brink of war, the truth is all too clear. America has no place for someone like him. In search of his place in the world, he leaves his hometown of Seattle and sets out to sea.In Manila, he meets Fumiko, a Nisei from Los Angeles with a heartbreaking past who captures his heart. His soulmate who tread the same path of prejudice he walked at home. Together, they begin a new life in this burgeoning city under American colonial rule where they are no longer shunned.The Pearl Harbor attack destroys their dreams. Their dual identity now forces them to take a side. Their survival hinges on whether they stand with the land of the rising sun or the land of the free.Stranded in occupied territory, Tom must decide where his loyalty lies. Should he swear his allegiance to Imperial Japan, the instigator of war and violence? Or America, the country that deserted him when the world's darkest hour begins?What happens if his choice diverges from his one true love?

A Glasshouse of Stars


Shirley Marr - 2021
    Everything is vast and unknown to Meixing and not in a good way, including the house she has dubbed Big Scary. She is embarrassed by the second-hand shoes given to her by the kind neighbours, has trouble understanding the language at school, and with fitting in and making new friends. Her solace is a glasshouse in the garden that inexplicably holds the sun and the moon and all the secrets of her memory and imagination.Her fragile universe is rocked when tragedy strikes and Ma Ma refuses to face the world outside. Meixing finds herself trapped within the shrinking walls of Big Scary. Her parents said this would be a better life for them all, but it feels like the worst and most heart-breaking experience of Meixing's entire existence. Surviving will take all the resilience and inner belief of this brave girl to turn their world around.A Glasshouse of Stars is based on the real childhood experiences of the author, brushed with a light touch of magic realism.

Sinopticon 2021: A Celebration of Chinese Science Fiction


Xueting C. Ni - 2021
    A stunning collection of the best in Chinese Science Fiction, from Award-Winning legends to up-and-coming talent, all translated here into English for the first time. This celebration of Chinese Science Fiction — thirteen stories, all translated for the first time into English — represents a unique exploration of the nation’s speculative fiction from the late 20th Century onwards, curated and translated by critically acclaimed writer and essayist Xueting Christine Ni.From the renowned Jiang Bo’s ‘Starship: Library' to Regina Kanyu Wang’s ‘The Tide of Moon City, and Anna Wu’s ‘Meisje met de Parel', this is a collection for all fans of great fiction.Award winners, bestsellers, screenwriters, playwrights, philosophers, university lecturers and computer programmers, these thirteen writers represent the breadth of Chinese SF, from new to old: Gu Shi, Han Song, Hao Jingfang, Nian Yu, Wang Jinkang, Zhao Haihong, Tang Fei, Ma Boyong, Anna Wu, A Que, Bao Shu, Regina Kanyu Wang and Jiang Bo.

Chirri & Chirra, the Rainy Day


Kaya Doi - 2021
    In this new installment of the beloved series, the twins brave a rainy day together...after all, stormy weather is no match for their boundless energy and curiosity. The pair happens upon a cafe that is only open on rainy days, and they sip tea with a side of sweet rock candy as they watch the droplets fall. They continue their journey, only to discover that the rain is now falling upside-down, their bicycles suspended on the droplets as they ride along. For these winsome twins, the world is a haven of endless discovery, of wonderful oddities, of adventure and excitement without danger. Kaya Doi's illustrations, rendered in glowing colored pencil, are warm and inviting for readers, ushering them into the pages like a safe haven from the rain outside.

The Punkhawala and the Prostitute


Wesley Leon Aroozoo - 2021
    Oseki, an ingenue forced into servitude as a karayuki, grapples with betrayal by her own father and transforms into a monster she can’t recognise. Gobind, a deaf convict from India, serves his sentence as a punkhawala to a tiger-hunting British master obsessed with killing Rimau Satan, the man-eating tiger; while on a hunt, his butchered memories lurk from the darkness, aching to pounce. When their paths intertwine, they face their inner demons to find humanity and their way back home.

My Good Son


Yang Huang - 2021
    . . . Mr. Cai remains front and center, always compelling, a man doing everything for his boy, the way a good father — supposedly — should.” —The New York TimesIn MY GOOD SON, award-winning author Yang Huang explores both the deep power and the profound burdens of parental love through the story of Mr. Cai, a tailor in post-Tiananmen China, and his only son Feng. Like many of his generation, Mr. Cai’s most fervent desire is for his son to succeed. He manages to get Feng to pass his entrance exams, and turns to an American customer, Jude, to sponsor his studies in the States. This scheme, hatched between the older Chinese man and a handsome gay American ex-pat, exposes readers to the parallels and differences of American and Chinese cultures—father-son relationships, familial expectations, sexuality, social mobility, and privilege. “A poignant meditation on fathers and sons, American and Chinese cultures and traditions in the face of modernity, Yang Huang’s latest novel is layered, evocative and engaging.” —Ms., May 2021 Reads for the Rest of UsThe Millions, Most Anticipated: "The Great First-Half 2021 Book Preview"Electric Literature, "43 Books By Women of Color to Read in 2021"“About difficult and rewarding connections across generational and cultural divides, Yang Huang’s novel MY GOOD SON is a captivating masterpiece centered around a father and son in post-Tiananmen Square China. . . . Earnest in its portrayal of complicated family bonds, MY GOOD SON is a resonant novel set during a turbulent time in China, wherein families face the universal struggles of connection and commonality.” —FOREWORD REVIEWS“MY GOOD SON is a mesmerizing portrait of at least two societies in flux, seen in the story of one Chinese family challenged to change their sense of what a ‘good son’ is and what it would mean to love and support him. Provocative, funny, charming, Huang’s novel takes on the challenges of this moment of sexual politics with affection and honesty.” —Alexander Chee, author of HOW TO WRITE AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL NOVEL

AUSSIE STEM STARS: EDDIE WOO


Rebecca Lim - 2021
    Aussie STEM Stars is an inspiring children’s series that celebrates Australia’s experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and MathematicsThe fifth book is about Eddie Woo, the teacher extraordinaire whose ‘WooTube’ channel has been helping students to find the magic in maths since 2012.

Orienting: An Indian in Japan


Pallavi Aiyar - 2021
    Steering through the many (mis)adventures that come from learning a new language, imbibing new cultural etiquette, and asking difficult questions about race, Aiyar explores why Japan and India find it hard to work together despite sharing a long civilizational history. Part travelogue, part reportage, Orienting answers questions that have long confounded the rest of the world with Aiyar’s trademark humour. Tackling both the significant and the trivial, the quirky and the quotidian, here is an Indian’s account of Japan that is as thought-provoking as it is charming.

My Story: Justice in the Wilderness


Tommy Thomas - 2021
    His authentic voice is captured in this candid memoir and is recommended reading for anyone interested in Malaysian politics and the law.

Funeral Nights


Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih - 2021
    It may well be the last time this ancient rite is performed. The ceremony—involving a number of rituals and the sacrifice of as many as fifty bulls—will conclude with the cremation of a beloved elder, a woman whose body has been preserved in a tree house for nine whole months.By mistake, however, the group ends up reaching the secluded hamlet of Nongshyrkon seven days early. Stuck in the jungle for eleven days, they spend their nights around a fire in the middle of a spacious hut built especially for them, sharing stories and debating issues in what turns out to be a journey of discovery for all of them.Funeral Nights is an unconventional novel—a vast collection of stories big and small, not so much about death, but about life, past, present and future, rural and urban, high and low; about admirable men and women, raconteurs and pranksters, lovers and fools, politicians and conmen, drunks and taxi drivers; about culture and history, religion and God, myth and legend. Inspired by the narrative frame of Boccaccio’s The Decameron and The Arabian Nights, but adopting a serio-comic style, this is intimate access to a whole world, spectacular in its documentation of a tribe’s life and culture such as has never been attempted before.‘A closely-woven sequence of narratives that provides us a profound insight into the working of the tribal psyche where the borders of the real and the surreal get blurred ... Here is a book of rare scholarship that Mircea Eliade or Claude L vi-Strauss would have read with admiration and yet remains as accessible as fiction to the lay reader.’K . SATCHIDANANDAN‘This is the Moby Dick of Meghalaya, a novel of huge ambition and tremendous appetite. Or is it a novel at all?’JERRY PINTO author of Em and the Big Hoom and Murder in Mahim