All That Matters by Wayson Choy

Set in the 1930s and 40s, All That Matters continues the story of the Chen family, this time seen through the eyes of First Son Kiam-Kim. Having left behind the harshness of life in their Toishan village, Kiam-Kim, his principled, tireless father and his indomitable grandmother, Poh-Poh, arrive in Gold Mountain with dreams of a better future.

As he grows up, Kiam-Kim's life is broadened as well as complicated by his burgeoning awareness of the world outside Vancouver's Chinatown. In a city divided into neighbourhoods as sharply defined as nation-states, Kiam-Kim becomes ever more sensitive to the nuances of belonging and exclusion.

Across the gulf of misunderstanding and suspicion, Kiam-Kim forges a lasting friendship with Jack O'Connor, son of a volatile Irishman and a pious mother, who must struggle with his own inheritance. And growing up alongside them both is Jenny, lovely daughter of Poh-Poh's mah-jong companion, the dramatic Mrs. Chong. As they approach adulthood against the backdrop of rigid expectations at home and violent war abroad, these three find themselves inextricably bound by ties that perhaps none of them fully understands.

In All That Matters Wayson Choy accomplishes the extraordinary: blending a haunting evocation of tenacious, ancient traditions with a precise, funny, and very modern coming-of-age story, creating a world that will linger in the memory of readers long after the last page is turned.

Wayson Choy's first novel, The Jade Peony, spent 26 weeks on The Globe and Mail's bestseller list and in 1995 he shared the Trillium Award with Margaret Atwood and won the Vancouver Book Award. His highly acclaimed memoir, Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Childhood, was published in 1999 and won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. Wayson Choy lives in Toronto.