All Our Ordinary Stories

    (Arsenal Pulp, 2024)

Beginning with her mother’s stroke in 2014, Teresa Wong takes us on a moving journey through time and place to locate the beginnings of the disconnection she feels from her parents. Through a series of stories—some epic, like her mother and father’s daring escapes from communes during China’s Cultural Revolution, and some banal, like her quitting Chinese school to watch Saturday morning cartoons—Wong carefully examines the cultural, historical, language, and personality barriers to intimacy in her family, seeking answers to the questions 'Where did I come from?' and 'Where are we going?' At the same time, she discovers how storytelling can bridge distances and help make sense of a life.
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