Realities of Chinese immigrants

Once our most vital physiological needs have been satisfied, a sense of belonging quickly becomes the most critical necessity for human fulfilment. At least, that’s what American psychologist Abraham Maslow argued in his oftcited 1943 hierarchy of needs, and nearly 75 years later it still seems to ring true.

Sour Heart, a debut collection of short stories from writer Jenny Zhang, orbits around that notion, with each narrative offering a fresh take on the coming of age story, told from the perspectives of different daughters of Chinese immigrants whose lives in America are loosely connected.

Great things have been expected of Zhang, especially after actress and writer Lena Dunham chose the American writer’s debut anthology as the first publication for her Lenny imprint.

In seven short stories, Zhang manages to provide a refreshingly honest portrayal of some of the more universal realities of girlhood: discovering sexuality, negotiating what it means to be a woman in the world and searching for a sense of belonging within one’s own family and within the broader framework of society.

By anchoring her stories in the experience of being Chinese-American, however, Zhang, who was born in China and raised in New York, also manages to weave together a larger tapestry of the immigrant experience in America. – The Independent