The Concubine's Children by Denise Chong

Denise Chong achieves magic with her very human portrayal of her two, extraordinary grandparents, and the generational fall out of their roots in the "old world". It is seldom any author can reveal both the courage and failings of subjects with such generous objectivity. The fact that the story she tells of May-ying and Chan Sam was one that defined the warp and weave of her mother's life, penetrating into her own, makes it even more impressive. Adding the parallel life of the family in China creates an eerie, almost supernatural overlay that proves to be surprisingly real when the author and her mother brave the journey to discover the side of the family to whom they are the legends.