Gods of Want

Starred review from May 23, 2022
Chang (Bestiary) returns with a dazzling collection of stories within stories that draw on old myths to embody the heartache and memories of Asian American women. In “The Chorus of Dead Cousins,” the unnamed narrator is constantly disrupted by the ghosts of her dead cousins and tries to escape them by traveling with her storm-chaser wife to record a tornado. In “Episodes of Hoarders,” a woman nicknamed “little crab” grieves over her dead hoarder grandmother. A wild mother-in-law repeatedly pretends to die and makes married life a living nightmare for the protagonist of “Xífù,” who envies her lesbian daughter for being unattached to men. In “Anchor,” a young woman struggles with the verbal abuse of her aunt, who raised her after her mother died during childbirth. She’s also haunted by the ghost of a girl her aunt accidentally shot many years earlier, has delicate conversations with a nun at a nearby temple, and searches for the old toy gun her brother lost before he left for the military. Chang’s bold conceits and potent imagery evoke a raw, visceral power that captures feelings of deep longing and puts them into words. This stellar collection will leave readers hungry for more. Agent: Julia Kardon, HG Literary.

December 1, 2022

Chang follows her dazzling debut, Bestiary, with an uncanny and otherworldly collection of 16 short stories. These stories are visceral and strange, but feel utterly real, even when elements are fantastical. The surreality ought to obscure the explorations of humanity, of culture, and of queerness, but it somehow makes everything hit harder. The stories are divided up among five narrators--Catherine Ho, Natalie Naudus, Elaine Wang, Nancy Wu, and Annie Q--who are venomous about passive-aggressive family members, disgusted with society, and matter-of-fact about, if a bit exasperated by, interfering ghosts. The narrators are well balanced, providing listeners with an even audio experience. It is by no means a comfortable experience, however, as Chang explores pain and frustration in vivid and sometimes disturbing imagery. While each story stands on its own, aspects may resurface in later tales. Despite a certain amount of grotesquerie, these tales are often whimsical and strangely beautiful as well. VERDICT Experiencing this collection in print would allow readers to more easily savor Chang's lyrical writing, but listening provides an opportunity to fully dwell within the stories and be carried to the end.--Matthew Galloway

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