Hunger : a novella and stories

Disclaimer: I've read two of Lan Samantha Chang's novels and loved them both and I also really like short stories so it was a forgone conclusion that I would like this book. And I did like it very much.

The stories mostly follow the experiences of children being raised by recent immigrants who are struggling to find their place in communities that are not entirely welcoming. Being highly educated and skilled doesn't prevent the parents from being passed over for jobs or promotions, trying to fit in never quite works. The children deal with this by rebelling or by being compliant and eventually learn to be themselves. The book opens with the novella, which left me wanting something longer and which also was exactly the right length for show more the story it was telling. The best stories examined father-daughter relationships. This was an excellent collection and I hope Chang returns to the short story format. show less

Wonderful, elegant prose tells the story of a family torn apart by their own love. Very moving. By the last page I could feel the emptiness that the characters faced.

I only read the novella, Hunger, because it was so painful and good and I didn't want to be disappointed by the short stories. (I'm lame like that.) Her style isn't to my taste, but I can still appreciate how good that novella is. And very painful. It hurts to think about.

I only read the novella, Hunger, because it was so painful and good and I didn't want to be disappointed by the short stories. (I'm lame like that.) Her style isn't to my taste, but I can still appreciate how good that novella is. And very painful. It hurts to think about.

This is a Novella plus short stories about the immigrant’s hunger for acceptance, for love, for lost tradition, and how one parent’s desire for fulfillment can tear a family apart. Excellent.

The title story is told by the wife, Min, an immigrant from Taiwan. She is working as the hostess in a Chinese restaurant when she meets her husband Tian, a violin student and teacher at the local music conservatory. They marry and set up house in a small apartment in Brooklyn. But Min can never get over her sense of suspense, and she never learns English. Tian also struggles with English and is passed over time and again for a permanent professorship. Eventually he loses his post entirely and resorts to being the bus boy in the same Chinese show more Restaurant where Min used to work. They manage to raise two daughters, the younger of whom is a naturally gifted violinist, but lazy about perfecting her skill.

Each person in this family hungers for what s/he does not have. Tian for respect and success. Min for the love of her children and her home in Taiwan. Anna for the love of her parents, especially Tian. Ruth for freedom from expectations.

The other stories (except for the last) are similar in that they deal with Chinese immigrants in America and their struggles to fit in, to remember (or forget) their homeland; they are all hungry for acceptance, for love, for their traditions, for a new life, for success.

The last story is the only one that takes place entirely in China and tells a story of a young woman from a small village who comes to Shanghai to find her fortune just before WW II, and instead finds a way to avenge her parents.

(First read in May 2007 for one of my book clubs. Read it again in December 2009 for a different book club. ) show less

Interesting book with one novella and three short stories, all strikingly similar themes. Chinese immigrants making their way in the U.S. Father working hard and being unsuccessful in academia which leads to many family stresses, children (mostly daughters) being pressed into roles they don't want, suffering from family stresses. Mothers coping and being generally miserable. I will be leading two book discussions on Chang and then will get to hear her speak when she visits as part of an author series our library is doing, should be most interesting to hear what she and others have to say.

Short stories by a Chinese American, each exploring displacement and distance from Chinese culture. Poignant.