Doretta Lau

This collection of short stories is different to anything I've read before. It's definitely Canadian, but new Canadian. Lau, a young Chinese-Canadian woman, writes from the perspective of an Asian millennial, with an audacious, irreverent tone while somehow remaining amiable, nice. My favourite was the first story "God Damn, How Real Is This?" where future selves harass present selves by text message. It is funny, weird, and captivating. The final story that provided the book's title was about a gang of Chinese youths menacing their Vancouver neighbourhood. Lau is smart-mouthed, wildly creative, and funny in a strange unique way. Said by blurber Rebecca Godfrey to be "the one to usher in a new era of CanLit", Lau is an author to watch.… (mehr)

In How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun, Doretta Lau explores the lives of a variety of young Asian Canadians. Lau exposes both the unique ways their cultural heritage affects their lives, and the universal struggles that we all face like love, loss, and having our future selves sending us text messages. You can see the influence of Lau’s Vancouver residence as she incorporates locations and events in East Van and the downtown east side. Take time to savour each story in this collection and get inside the lives of its rich cast of characters.… (mehr)