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Alice Poon is the author of the non-fiction title Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong, the Chinese editions of which were a bestseller in Hong Kong and Mainland China when they were launched in 2010 and won the 4th Year Hong Kong Book Prize in 2011. The original English edition had been featured as Editor’s Choice: Scholarly in the 2007 Canadian Book Review Annual.
Fated and Fateless is her debut novel. She has just finished writing a historical epic set in 17th century China, which is about the life story of the first Qing Empress Dowager.
From 2007 to 2014 she was a blogger for the online magazine Asia Sentinel. She now lives in British Columbia, Canada.
Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite
Love and grief, good and bad, wealth and poverty. The true yin and yang of life is at the heart of Fated and Fateless, the newest novel by Alice Poon. Spanning four decades in colonial Hong Kong, Fated and Fateless follows characters Wendy Kwan and Diana Lee on their journeys to adulthood. Childhood friends in the 1950s, a falling-out in their teenage years turns them into life-long enemies. Wendy, who rises from abject poverty in a true rags to riches story, pulls herself up through the ranks of corporate Hong Kong through her own hard work, dedication and intelligence. Diana, given too much from the time of birth, finds that her illusions of wealth, sophistication and glamour are not what they seem, and are not always there when she needs them. This tale of two women’s wildly divergent paths is somewhat of a cautionary tale in terms of depending too much on what others can give you instead of on what you can earn on your own.
Alice Poon’s newest novel is a short, easy read. I especially enjoy books in which I can learn about countries and cultures through the prose of the novel, and this is definitely one of these books. The lifestyles and customs of those living in 1950s to 1980s Hong Kong are elaborated upon delicately in this novel. I appreciated that the descriptions came organically throughout the book; in no way did I feel like information was being thrust upon me. I look forward to future works by this author, and hope that she continues to center her work around Hong Kong.
