acquiesce

Sin Hwang is a semi-successful Toronto novelist. He’s stubborn, slightly egotistical, and used to the easy way out. Marks from his past are left on his body, but he refuses to acknowledge them. When he learns his estranged father has passed away, all he says is “it’s fine.” But he agrees to visit Hong Kong, where his father grew up, at the request of his cantankerous cousin Kai, whom he’s never met. When he arrives, Kai explains that Sin is required to perform traditional duties before burying his father. Besides not knowing how to read Chinese, Sin has to learn how to be a part of a family, compromise, and confront his past.

Written like a Buddhist meditation on the cycle of violence by starting in the middle then reaching the end and the beginning at the same time, the story of Sin’s journey is familiar, witty, and rewarding.