Ingratitude

Lori A. Dunn is a ESL teacher, instructional designer, and freelance
writer in New Westminster, B.C.

Ingratitude is the story of one young woman’s inability to deal with
her mother’s expectations. Perhaps elements of the main character’s
life and difficulties are part and parcel of being born a female child
of a Chinese mother, but for the most part, the pressures that Yan-Zi
experiences are faced by many women the world over. Yan-Zi tries to do
the impossible—love her parents even though she knows that she cannot
be what they wanted or expected. Her rebellion against her mother’s
ownership over her life takes a number of forms, but from the beginning
of the novel we know that she will take the ultimate step. Knowing the
tragic outcome makes the story no less compelling and mesmerizing.

Ying Chen was born in Shanghai, and her novel is set in her home
country, with her native traditions. The book was lauded when it was
first published in French, and the English translation by Carol Volk is
definitely up to the same standards, with its simple and lyrical prose.