Dandelion

Reviews

“In Dandelion, a woman struggles to understand the mysterious disappearance of her own mother while on the brink of motherhood herself. Rich in imagery detailing the immigrant experience, Jamie Chai Yun Liew’s debut novel picks at the open wound of diasporic displacement with tenderness and compassion.” — Catherine Hernandez, author of Scarborough and Crosshairs

“Jamie Chai Yun Liew’s Dandelion is a poignant portrayal of a woman’s coming of age as a Chinese immigrant trying to set down roots in a small town in British Columbia. In a story relatable to many, as Lily grows up, she awakens to the beauty and brutality of her home in Canada. Meanwhile, her mother retreats and finally leaves, unable to cope with the changing family dynamics of their new life. Dandelion invites readers to imagine multi-generational loss, gain, and love in a fresh take on the mother-daughter narrative. It is at once comfortable and unsettling, raw, and tender.” — Carrianne Leung, author of The Wondrous Woo and That Time I Loved You

“With finely wrought observations and complex characters, Liew captures the subtle nuances of immigration, race, belonging, diaspora, and what it means to be Other. Dandelion is an important debut.” — Lindsay Wong, author of The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family

“With Dandelion, Jamie Chai Yun Liew renovates the kinds of coming-of-age narratives that helped me understand what it meant to be an Asian diasporic person living in Canada at a certain time and place. Here is a novel that is at once recognizable and distinct. A meaningful contribution to the long legacy of Asian North American fiction.” — Jenny Heijun Wills, author of Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.: A Memoir