Paperback, McClelland & Stewart
Focusing on the Chinese community in Canada, these vivid and poignant stories tell us something about the place of home and memory in our lives. Whether her characters find themselves caught between the life they left behind and the lonely realities of their new life in Canada, or torn between the traditions of the past and a desire to shape their own futures, Bates captures their struggles and triumphs with compassion and insight. Among the eight stories: The arrival of a beautiful mail-order bride incites a treacherous mix of jealousy and suspicion between two brothers. After years of sacrifice, an elderly woman seizes a last chance for happiness when she moves into a home of her own. For the sake of her family, a young woman must navigate her way through the unfamiliar demands of Chinese tradition after she elopes with her Canadian boyfriend. Richly textured, China Dog reminds us of the universal yearning for understanding and acceptance.