The narrative begins with a death, and the preparations thereafter to satisfy everyone in the family (from the Christians to the Confucians to the Buddhists) with the funeral and the food and the division of Chin's grandmother's earthly goods and eternal legacy. It continues through the turmoil of postwar Malaysia, with the withdrawal of the Japanese and then the English and the rise of communist insurgents, It continues in the US and then in China where Ping encounters the ghosts of her father's Hakka ("Guest People") heritage. The aunties and uncles, cousins and semi-cousins all take their rightful places as Chin describes the tangled web of family, new landscapes and hope, and old landscapes and memory. She also supplies recipes, including an amazing one for keo nyuk, or braised pork that may inspire you to found a dynasty just to make and share it. Annotation 2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
