All That Matters

I liked All That Matters. This is a coming-of-age novel with the usual assault of teenage hormones and introductions to sex, drinking and smoking, though these are not the focus of the novel. The focus is much more the family and this is what gives the novel its deeper interest and power. The story is told through the eyes of Kiam-Kim who is the First Son and his coming-of-age is complicated by the immigrant experience (the novel is set in the 1930s and 40s in Vancouver's Chinese community) where Kiam-Kim must balance the old with the emerging new of his life in Canada, as a Canadian who starts to move away from the family traditions, not because he rejects them, but because that is the immigrant experience. There is a host of wonderful show more characters, led by Poh-Poh, the grandmother who worked as a slave-child in China before coming to Vancouver with her son (Kiam-Kim's father) in an interesting arrangement whereby a wealthy Chinese merchant sponsors them because he has no family and wants to build one. Kiam-Kim's mother had died earlier. The family is joined by a second wife, chosen through an arranged marriage, who bears two children of her own, but who is continually referred to as Stepmother, even by her own children. Choy writes in an understated, simple manner that nevertheless weaves a number of themes into the story: identity, family, exclusion, belonging, plus the dealing with the pressures of the old and the new, and of setting out on one's own life path. Choy conveys very well the mixed pressures and beliefs of Chinese trying to make a living in a new land that wants their work but is not ready to treat them as equal citizens. A good novel. show less

All that Matters by Wayson Choy is the sequel to his earlier book, Jade Peony. Set in British Columbia during the 1930’s and 1940’s and tells of the Chen family, first introduced in the previous book. This time, the focus is on the First Son and Oldest Brother, Kiam-Kim, instead of the younger children but still describes their strict but loving upbringing in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Kiam comes to Canada with his father and his grandmother, the fabulous Poh-Poh. His mother died in China and Poh-Poh is raising him. Although the father cannot marry again, to avoid upsetting his first wife’s ghost, a companion is brought into the family that Kiam calls Stepmother. She gives birth to a girl, and a boy and they also adopt an orphan boy. show more Kiam leans that he must always lead the way and set an example for his younger brothers and sister. But for me the star of the book is the grandmother, Poh-Poh. She is the heart and soul of the family, she decrees everyone’s roles, and teaches the children life lessons through her stories of ghosts and curses. And her dire warnings of “Me die soon” help her always get her own way.

These two books truly tell the early Chinese immigrants story. How they came to Gold Mountain, which was their name for Vancouver and set down roots in a new country yet continued on with their customs, culture and language. The younger generation on the other hand becomes much more assimilated in their new country of Canada. All That Matters was as beautifully written as the first novel, and as much as I enjoyed reading about the Chen family again, it did feel a little repetitive as the storyline was so similar to The Jade Peony. show less

In All That Matters, Wayson Choy expands on the story of the Chen family first introduced in The Jade Peony. This time, Choy makes use of a single narrator, the eldest son, who has recently arrived on the west coast with his grandmother and father. What I really like about Wayson Choy's work is not only his flowing style but also the content of the plot which, with a refreshing and sometimes brutal, frank voice describes the two solitudes experienced by most first generation Canadians.

A good depiction of Chinese culture as it meets with Canadian society in the 1920s to 40s. About a boy growing up in that era, and his rebellions, could place that in any age.

Not up to the same quality of Jade Peony, which is a true masterpiece, but still an engaging look at Chinese Vancouver leading up to the Second World War. In my mind, most books pale in comparison to Jade Peony. All That Matters is a nice counterpoint to Obasan, which shows the same period of Vancouver's history from a Japanese perspective. Read Jade Peony first, which sets the stage, then enjoy All That Matters.

I am sorry to admit that I haven’t enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed _The Jade Peony_. It’s a story of the same Chinese immigrant family in Vancouver set at the same time (why would you do that??) told by the oldest son, Kiam-Kim. He is the only child in the family who was not given a narrative voice in the previous novel. It’s roughly the same story that is told in _The Jade Peony_, but it doesn’t have the elegant structure of the previous novel. The Jade Peony consists of three beautifully crafted short stories, and this is just one continuous novel.

It was just ok for me. I kept waiting for more to happen in the book which sadly never did. There was never a point where I felt like I needed to know what happened next. Only good thing about the book was that it takes place in Vancouver where I grew up so it was neat to recognize the different areas of the city and hear about how they have changed.