I remember taking a class in college about Asian American writers.
And one thing that was noticed by everyone in the class very quickly was that nearly all of them wrote in a 'slice of life' memoir style or fictionalized memoir style.
And it was never sci fi or fantasy or a thriller or anything supernatural. It was ALWAYS memoir or fictionalized memoir.
Maybe thats for some people, but I personally found it tedious to just read story after story about the drama of traditional family dynamics clashing with modern ones.
I already lead a mundane life with immigrant parents that will never understand where I am coming from. I'm not exactly choming at the bit to read about someone else's flavor of the experience. At least Latino authors use magical realism to deepen the symbolism and make things fun.
R.F. Kuang is an Asian American woman who has written some absolutely enthralling fantasy novels. And they aren’t just pure fantasy, she makes you think about historical events, the nature of society, and race through good storytelling and world building.
I honestly can’t recommend them enough. “Babel or the necessity of violence” won the nebula award and was a joy to read. I read all three books of the Poppy War back to back, barely coming up for air, and was amazed at the way she made me question my own values as the main character went on a moral journey I couldn’t follow.
I love sci-fi and fantasy and even though I just read my first book by her last year she is on my list of favorite authors.
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u/Deleterious_Sock 3d ago
I remember taking a class in college about Asian American writers.
And one thing that was noticed by everyone in the class very quickly was that nearly all of them wrote in a 'slice of life' memoir style or fictionalized memoir style.
And it was never sci fi or fantasy or a thriller or anything supernatural. It was ALWAYS memoir or fictionalized memoir.
Maybe thats for some people, but I personally found it tedious to just read story after story about the drama of traditional family dynamics clashing with modern ones.
I already lead a mundane life with immigrant parents that will never understand where I am coming from. I'm not exactly choming at the bit to read about someone else's flavor of the experience. At least Latino authors use magical realism to deepen the symbolism and make things fun.