Jack is the child of an American father and a Chinese mother. At some point as a teenager, he struggles to fit and blames his mother. As a result, their relationship goes sour.

I don’t think this summary captures the beauty of the story, though it’s an interesting one considering it won the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards — the first to do so. I was surprised after reading it because I don’t think it is scifi or fantasy. It’s a good piece of magical realism instead: it flirts with exaggeration and it bends reality just enough to get an emotional response.

Liu uses a familiar situation (bullying) to talk about the Chinese concept of 孝, xiào, filial piety, respecting and caring for one’s parents and ancestors. Jack’s first-person voice guides us, and it’s through that voice that guilt is delivered — and so the parable’s message gets across. It made me think of Confucius and rites.