dreesreads 's review for:

The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy
4.0

In Vancouver, BC, 4 Chinese-Canadian children are raised by their grandmother, father, and "stepmother". It is during the depression and World War II. This novel is narrated by the three younger children: Jung (second son, adopted but fully integrated into the family), Liang (only daughter) and Sek-Lung (third son). Each describes their own experiences with those who mattered most in their lives, excluding mom ("stepmother"--oldest son Kiam's stepmother, but mother to the two youngest) and dad.

Each chafes under certain rules at home, and about certain ways the others are treated. But each is especially close to different people who help meet their own needs. Heartwarming and sweet, but the ending is a punch to the gut.