The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling

An authentic novel about growing up in an Asian immigrant family with a mother who is suffering from a debilitating mental illness.

Anna Chiu has her hands full. When she's not looking after her brother and sister or helping out at her father's restaurant, she's taking care of her mother, whose debilitating mental illness keeps her in bed most days. Her father's new delivery boy, Rory, is a welcome distraction and even though she knows that things aren't right at home, she's starting to feel like she could be a normal teen.

But when her mother finally gets out of bed, things go from bad to worse. And as her mother's condition worsens, Anna and her family question everything they understand about themselves and each other.

The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling is a heart-wrenching, true-to-life exploration through the often neglected crevices of culture, mental illness, and family. Its strong themes are balanced by a beautiful romance making it a feel-good, yet important read.

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Published Sep 21, 2021

336 pages

Average rating: 10

1 RATING

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Community Reviews

fionaian
Sep 30, 2024
10/10 stars
This is an excellent young adult novel that examines mental illness from an Asian lens. There needs to be more books like this. I can't emphasize it enough. We need to destigmatize mental illness in the Asian community. I also really liked how it doesn't have a happyily ever after ending as the family realizes mental illness is a constant battle, but they're now more equipped to live with it after the roller coaster of events.

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