Picture Bride

Following the India-China war of 1962, the Chinese Indians (the Hakka), fearing suspicion and hostility, begin to emigrate. Twenty-year-old Jillian Wu leaves Calcutta to marry a man she has never met–Peter Chou, also a Hakka–with much anticipation, only to discover that he is gay. Forced by her husband to keep up the charade of a “normal” marriage, and pressured by her in-laws to have a child, she flees back to Calcutta, only to be disowned by her conservative family. A moving story with political overtones, set during a period of changing times and changing values.

AUTHOR

C Fong Hsiung

The eldest of five children, C Fong Hsiung was born to Hakka Chinese parents in Kolkata, India. At the age of 18 she immigrated to Canada where she married and raised three sons. Her first novel, Picture Bride (Mawenzi House), was published in 2014. She lives in Markham, Ontario.

Reviews

“Even when description is sparse, the minimalist writing still paints a vivid picture. The emotional heft of Jillian’s confusion, her adjustments, her courage and fear is borne out fantastically. The way our protagonist’s immigration experience is framed, from Peter threatening her with her immigration status to the journey back home for the first time, is grounded from a reality. Also though I’m familiar with Chinese Indians, I really enjoy how bits and pieces of Hakka culture is given here.” –Galactic Tides, blog