All That Matters [IMPORT] (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Choy's lovingly detailed novel (following The Jade Peony and the memoir Paper Shadows), three-year-old Kiam-Kim Chen journeys from China to Vancouver in 1925 with his father and his grandmother, Poh-Poh (a former Chinese slave girl). As he matures, he gains a stepmother, an adopted brother and two stepsiblings. Poh-Poh's unsettling stories of kitchen gods and ghosts provide vivid reminders of the Old China the family left behind. Set pieces form the novel's core, like Poh-Poh's elaborate preparations for her mah-jongg party when Kiam is eight. That's when he first encounters Jenny Chong, a "tiger" girl with a fierce temper (and, eventually, the good looks to match it). When Poh-Poh dies, Old China's ghosts really do come back—at least the ghost of Poh-Poh (who haunts Kiam's stepbrother, Sekky, so intensely that Kiam's embarrassed father hires an exorcist). As Kiam grows up, the relationship among Kiam, Jenny and Jack O'Connor, the Irish-Catholic boy next door (whom Poh-Poh had barred from their house) gets tangled in the complexities of WWII and the ethnic politics of the neighborhood. Choy's novel captures the spirit in which exile turns into assimilation. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"All That Matters is a quiet and moving book. On the surface, the gentle narrative voice seems to belie the weight and power of the story, but as we read along, the energy accumulates and the momentum accelerates. The novel shows convincingly what is fundamental in humanity, and it also shows the author’s firm belief in human decency. It is a genuine story of the Chens, a family that embodies the real immigrants, `the wretched refuse’ tossed on the American continent.I greatly admire Wayson Choy’s craftmanship demonstrated in this book, particularly his way of blending the personal with the historical, his patience, and his restrained, sublte prose. Above all, his understanding, compassion, and wisdom. This is one of the best novels on the Asian American experience."
—Ha Jin, author of War Trash

“What a pleasure to read Wayson Choy again. . . . The language, the rhythms and the images are so seductive and often so exquisite . . . a thing of sheer beauty. . . . In delicate balance, Choy holds the ghosts of the past and the resolve to survive in the present, two countries, two cultures, two worlds.”
—The Globe and Mail

“A new book from Choy is an event. His writing has a quiet integrity and an exquisite grace that can electrify readers . . . Choy’s handling of childhood memory is dazzling. . . . All That Matters is a beautiful novel.”
—Maclean’s magazine

“A magnificent novel . . . accomplished, heartfelt and true . . . a meditation on memory, love, family and forgiveness — and aren’t they all that matter?”
— Toronto Star

“Superb . . . Choy’s effortless style is mesmerizing, and his characters are compelling. Perhaps the most enticing aspect of his writing is the glimpse he offers into the vibrant world of Chinese-Canadian culture at a time when they were still not fully accepted as proper members of Canadian society.”
— Edmonton Journal

“In some ways, that is Choy’s ultimate gift: to be able to employ words like ghosts, curses, blessings and omens and have even the most analytical of heads nod with understanding. Gold Mountain, the Vancouver of the 1930s that Choy has created, is where the historical meets the mystical . . . Choy sustains the balance even as he touches on heavier issues — war, cultural divisions, a mixed-race love triangle. And life, he seems to tell us, isn’t so hard to figure out.”
—Time Magazine

“Beautifully drawn . . . Choy is a master of evoking the exotic and seedy sights, the clamour and the pungent smells, of a crowded immigrant neighbourhood. . . . expertly wrought . . . a moving, fascinating read.”
—Calgary Herald

“It’s taken almost a decade, but there’s good news for fans of Wayson Choy’s memorable first novel, The Jade Peony. All That Matters, Choy’s sequel to his earlier beguiling tale set in Vancouver’s Chinatown in the 1930s and 1940s is every bit as good as its predecessor. . . . Survival, duty and filial obligation as some of the big themes All That Matters grapples with. . . . All That Matters is a paean to decency and humanity.”
—The Gazette (Montreal)

“Choy writes beautifully of the sights, sounds and smells of daily life in a crowded household. His descriptions of family meals are perfect, sparkling little set pieces. . . . All That Matters rewards the reader with a richly textured evocation of childhood in a community as oppressive as it is nurturing. Once again, Choy has created a complex world, peopled with characters you will love as though they were your own family.”
—Ottawa Citizen

“An immensely appealing novel. . . Populated with captivating characters and laced with a wealth of Chinese lore, the book, short listed for this year’s Giller Prize, is a worthy contender.”
—London Free Press

Praise for The Jade Peony and Paper Shadows:
“Rich . . . delightful . . . Choy ranges over this familiar territory with a fresh eye.”
—New York Times Book Review

“A sweet and funny novel . . . beautifully written. . . . It renders a complex and complete human world, which by the end of two-hundred-odd pages we have learned to love.”
—The Boston Book Review

“This is a haunted memoir, full of phantoms and secrets, but it is also full of rich historical detail and sharp, clear descriptions of daily life. . . . The unknown is always an alluring prospect, but this book suggests that what counts in the end is a more ordinary reality, the patience and forgiveness and sense of responsibility that make daily family life possible. . . . In the era of the talk-show memoir, in which telling it all passes for telling it well, Paper Shadows stands out as a thoughtful, luminous and finely crafted work.”
—The Globe and Mail


From the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Anchor Canada (June 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385257775
• ISBN-13: 978-0385257770
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,197,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant, compelling sequel to The Jade Peony, July 29, 2005

By	fiona (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: All That Matters: A Novel (Hardcover)

I finished All That Matters by Wayson Choy in the wee hours of the early morning. It was so beautiful and compelling that I could hardly bear to put it down to finish the next day.

All That Matters is the long and eagerly awaited sequel to Choy's first book, the award-winning and national best-selling The Jade Peony. Expectedly, it is a continuation of Jade Peony, this time written in First Son Kiam Kim's eyes, instead of the rotating narrators (which included all of the siblings of the Chen family) found in The Jade Peony.

All That Matters is very reminiscent of The Jade Peony - it is almost like an echo of Choy's first book. The book focuses centrally on Kiam Kim, from when he first boards the Hong Kong ship to Gold Mountain (Vancouver, B.C.) to his adulthood in Vancouver's Chinatown. Kiam Kim's Poh Poh is another important part of the story, with her Old China and superstitious ways. She tells stories about ancient myths and ghosts, of which make Kiam Kim feel torn - in some instances, he believes in the things Poh Poh tells him, but his father is constantly reminding him that they are in Gold Mountain, not Old China, and to adapt essentially to "modern, scientific, Canadian ways."

Kiam Kim's responsibility as "First Son" and "Dai-Goh (Oldest Brother)" sometimes burdens him, but he soon learns that this is the Chinese way - as the First Son and the oldest sibling, he needs to be a good role-model for the rest of the family and, ultimately, refrain from "shaming" the family in any way. He is best friends with Jack O'Connor, an Irish white boy who is his next-door neighbour. A somewhat clandestine but intimate relationship between Kiam Kim and Jenny Chong (the daughter of one of Poh Poh's mah-jong mates) forms. All That Matters also deals with the second World War, of which readers will see makes a significant impact on Kiam Kim and the rest of the characters in the book.

All in all, All That Matters is a satisfying, triumphant sequel to The Jade Peony - and rightfully so that it was long and eagerly awaited. Choy does not disappoint in this sequel to his first book. In fact, he writes hauntingly and seductively, often incorporating Chinese phrases uttered by Poh Poh and other members of his family to make things more homely and authentic. Readers will be compelled by this wonderful book, entering the world of Kiam Kim - his trials and tribulations, his responsibilities and burdens, his relationships and family, and, ultimately, what matters.

For fans of The Jade Peony, I highly urge you to pick up All That Matters and to read it. I guarantee you will like it as much, if not more, than The Jade Peony. It is no surprise why All That Matters won the Trillium Award again, not to mention was also a finalist for the Giller Prize.

Having met Wayson Choy at an author reading in December made reading All That Matters for me that much more exciting and thrilling. I felt like I shared an affinity with various characters in the book and, at times, with Wayson Choy. I am certainly looking forward to reading more work by Wayson Choy.

I highly recommend All That Matters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What does matter?, August 7, 2007

By	R. Fitch - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: All That Matters (Paperback)

Another great novel that explores the Chinese American (well in this case North American) culture as well as growing up during the great depression in an industrialized town. I was disappointed in the ending, feeling like it just drifted off. It was a little confusing. But the rest of the book I found pleasant& intriguing. "In all the ways they lived their lives, survivors like Poh-Poh and Stepmother, Third Uncle and Father, and those elders who hacked their breath away, they were all saying 'Sail, paddle, swim, but push forward to shore. Do not drown in the past.'"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A really enjoyable read, July 2, 2007

By	M. Janik (Chicagoland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: All That Matters (Paperback)

This book tells a story. There's romance, mystery and some funny parts. The writer takes the time to divulge every minute detail, so you can relate to what's going on. That can make it tedious at times and even kind of slow, but it's part of the journey that this book relates. So if you're looking for a fast read, that you don't have to focus much on, this isn't that kind of book.

This was the first book I've read by the author and I plan to read others by him. It was just a pleasure to read this!