Critical Article Summary #3

The third and final critical article I found was written in the Globe & Mail by Mary Millar.

After nine years since his first novel, The Jade Peony, Wayson Choy comes back with his latest written work, All That Matters. He found out after he wrote The Jade Peony that his life isn't too much different from his main character's; he found out he was adopted just like the main character, Jung-Sum, was. This led him to write a memoir called Paper Shadows 5 years after the his first novel was published. Despite the cloud of lies and secrets, he still tried to find a clear answer to all of his new questions. This revelation caused him to think deeper and analyze things more often; these qualities influenced him when he began to write All That Matters. Since he is close to and can relate to the topic which he writes about, it makes his writing that more realistic. It almost feels like the reader is reading a non-fiction.

Even though both novels are set during the same time period (1926-1947) they both stand alone as two different novels: one is not a continuation of the other and it is not absolutely necessary to read one before the other either.

With the eldest child, Kiam-Kim, narrating the book the author is able to provide more knowledge on events that happen. A reader of The Jade Peony will learn more about an event that occurs in both books if they read All That Matters. The younger narrators from the first book were not able to describe and explain each event as clearly as Kiam-Kim can. All That Matters takes the reader all the way to the beginning of the Chen's arrival in Vancouver. The author is able to do so because Kiam-Kim was old enough to remember when he, his father, and grandmother moved to Gold Mountain. Choy perfectly conveys the counterpoint of influences between old China and new Canada. Old China is portrayed through the grandmother, Poh-Poh, while new Canada is shown through Kiam's father. The immense difference in culture- as Choy describes them as - allows the reader to wonder just how much stress and pressure Kiam is enduring. They are able to visualize Kiam being tied by two ropes, being pulled constantly back and forth to each of the cultures' sides.

The beauty of Wayson Choy's work is that the plot is moving forward, developing characters along the way; the plot can temporarily move back a few generations during Poh-Poh's storytelling, which creates a nice sense of history and depth for the reader.

Choy's combination of language, imagery, and brilliant themes leave the reader remembering the Chen family's story years after they have put the book down.


Millar, Mary. "Choy completes the square." Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada) 9 October 2004. Web: 27 October 2010. http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=IPS&docId=A123044243&source=gale&userGroupName=ko_k12hs_d21&version=1.0