School Library Journal - Audio
01/21/2022
Gr 9 Up—Anna Chiu longs for a normal life. Most of her childhood and teen years have been spent navigating her mother's moods. Long stretches where Ma doesn't get out of bed are punctuated by bouts of happiness, but also times when she gets incredibly angry and paranoid. Anna takes care of her siblings while her father spends almost all of his time at their family's restaurant. When her father needs help, Anna steps in to work in the kitchen. Instead of dragging her down further, this added responsibility allows her to reconnect with her father and get close to their new delivery driver, Rory. For the first time in a while, life feels normal—until her mother has a public breakdown sending her mom to the hospital for psychiatric care. Each member of the family navigates the initial treatment and eventual relapse differently. Anna leans heavily on Rory, who is still working with a therapist after an attempted suicide a few years ago. Anna's parents are immigrants from Hong Kong and their culture and beliefs are interwoven throughout, as well as experiences with racism and microaggressions. Mental illness is a major theme in this novel, but so are sibling and parental relationships and first love. Narrator Christina Ho brings Anna's inner and outer conflict vividly to life while doing the same for her family and Rory. She expertly blends the Cantonese words (which are then translated to English) into the narration. VERDICT The surprising power of this novel will connect with readers who seek romantic stories that also bring in some difficult realities of life.—Courtney Pentland
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Savor a deliciously enjoyable performance by Christina Ho in a scrumptious coming-of-age story. Teenager Anna struggles to see a bright future because she puts her siblings first when her depressed mother is frequently bedridden. When she decides to help at her father’s restaurant, she is completely charmed by Rory, their new delivery guy. Ho expertly narrates a large cast of quirky, authentic characters, creating a well-rounded listening experience. She gives listeners a strong sense of Anna’s strained relationship with her mother and her feelings for Rory, who is also affected by depression. Listeners will find the bittersweet story and Ho’s charismatic narration nothing short of delectable. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Praise for The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling:
"Heart-wrenching... The novel provides an insightful look at the powerful role food plays in our emotional lives." — The New York Times Book Review
* "Gritty details lend depth to this viscerally powerful tale of a teen struggling to help her troubled family." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"[R]efreshingly measured in its resolution... believable optimism readers can accept, and they'll be glad to see Anna's better way forward." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This is a book with a huge heartbeat and so much love infused in every page. The stoic resilience of the Chiu family is inspiring." — Alice Pung, award-winning author of Lucy and Linh
"A heartwarming tale of family, food, and first love that captures the pain and confusion of grappling with a parent's mental illness. Wai Chim will make you cry both happy and sad tears." — Justine Larbalestier, author of My Sister Rosa
"I adored this heartfelt story. Wai Chim has employed a deeply immersive storytelling style to explore the unspoken truths within families, trust, cross-cultural relationships, first love, and forgiveness with sophistication and unfailing empathy." — Leanne Hall, author of Iris and the Tiger
School Library Journal
12/01/2020
Gr 9 Up—Life isn't easy for Anna Chiu. She has to take care of her younger brother and sister while her father is busy working at the family's Chinese restaurant, and her mother can't get out of bed. With all the responsibility, Anna feels like she can't be a typical teen, until she meets Rory. He is hired as a delivery boy for the restaurant, and the two bond on the long rides home. When Anna's mom finally gets out of bed, things appear to look up, but actually go from bad to worse. Tackling family, relationships, culture, and mental health, this book is a fast-paced and fabulous read. The story takes place in Australia and features Anna and her Chinese Australian family. Rory and several other characters are white, and the other restaurant employees and some of Anna's peers are of Asian descent. This book shines a light on mental illness and how it affects not only the person who lives with it, but also their loved ones. Some aspects of the novel are on the darker side, such as learning Anna's mom used to hit her daughters with a feather duster, but they are handled gently. Some readers may be unfamiliar with the Australian and Cantonese terminology, but the lack of understanding won't take away from the story. VERDICT A good addition to any collection, but especially for those looking to diversify it.—Amanda Borgia, Uniondale P.L., NY
DECEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Savor a deliciously enjoyable performance by Christina Ho in a scrumptious coming-of-age story. Teenager Anna struggles to see a bright future because she puts her siblings first when her depressed mother is frequently bedridden. When she decides to help at her father’s restaurant, she is completely charmed by Rory, their new delivery guy. Ho expertly narrates a large cast of quirky, authentic characters, creating a well-rounded listening experience. She gives listeners a strong sense of Anna’s strained relationship with her mother and her feelings for Rory, who is also affected by depression. Listeners will find the bittersweet story and Ho’s charismatic narration nothing short of delectable. G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2020-08-28
Sixteen-year-old Anna cares for younger siblings and experiences first love while dealing with her mother’s mental illness.
Anna Chiu, a Chinese Australian teenager, is older sister to Lily, 13, and Michael, 5. Their father usually sleeps over at the family’s Chinese restaurant, leaving the children to cope with their erratic mother’s extreme, paranoid behaviors. On a good day, Ma is present, taking the kids on outings; on bad days she rants embarrassingly about the perfidies of Western culture or shakes the girls awake in the middle of the night to accuse them of disloyalty. On the worst days she is catatonic in bed. Anna’s schoolwork suffers and she feels alienated by her overachieving, popular Asian Australian schoolmates whose lives seem less burdened than her own. She starts helping out at the restaurant in hopes of bringing her family closer and alleviating their financial insecurity, leading to a romantic relationship with Rory, the White delivery boy—a sensitive, theatrical soul who is hiding his own secrets—that provides comfort. Ma’s episodes are outlined in strikingly authentic, heart-rending detail, as is the variety of the children’s emotional, PTSD–like responses; traumatized and yearning for normality, their portrayals ring especially true. Anna’s stomach churns with anxiety while Lily is often angry and Michael, scared and confused.
Gritty details lend depth to this viscerally powerful tale of a teen struggling to help her troubled family. (resources) (Fiction. 14-18)
