By: Angie Haddock
Alexandra Chan thinks she has life figured out until, in the Year of the Ram, the death of her father—her last parent—brings her to her knees, an event seemingly foretold in Chinese mythology.
A left-brained archaeologist and successful tiger daughter, Chan finds her logical approach to life utterly fails her in the face of this profound grief. Unable to find a way forward, she must either burn to ash or forge herself anew.
This is a long and winding read that weaves multiple ideas throughout. The physical version is over 400 pages, but I promise there are lots of pictures.
The first principle that is important to understanding the author’s aims here is the difference between “logos” and “mythos.” Logos is facts, logic, knowledge. Mythos is story, and the underlying meaning behind the facts. Chan then takes us along with her on a quest to get in touch with more mythos in her life.
Her paternal grandfather came here from China, and settled in Savannah, Georgia. Both he and her dad lived pretty long lives, and accomplished a lot for people who initially lived under Jim Crow and were not considered white. She tells us many stories of these two generations of her family – and some of her mom, as well – but mostly she is focused on excavating chapters of her dad’s life. He was already 60 when she was born, so there was a lot that came before her! His time in WWII features prominently, as told through his old letters to his first wife.
Eventually, she does some geneological digging, and learns of a few ancestors on her paternal grandmother’s side. These stories come late in the book, but are just as wild as the others she grew up knowing.
Interspersed with these family stories, though, are the present: what she is doing and feeling in these years, nearing and after her father’s death, that prompts her to dig up these stories. And learning about her dad’s life isn’t the only way she finds to connect to the mythos in hers: travel, gardening, painting, and poetry are all featured prominently.
While there are many pretty pictures and interesting tales, obviously this book is not all pretty things. There is much talk of war, as mentioned earlier. Grief is a major theme. Being descended from immigrants, racism, and whether we carry intergenerational trauma are all there, as well.
This book is out now, and would appeal to people more interested in mythos than logos: artists, poets, philosophers of all shapes. It might frustrate some, though, who want a story to be in a logical order. It’s a beautiful ride, though, if you’re willing to just “go with the flow.”
I read this one through NetGalley and the publisher, Girl Friday Productions.
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