“Once you figure out what matters, you’ll figure out how to be brave.” In your book, I highlighted this thought: Q: “Still colors the whole novel.” Beautiful, and yes, I see that so clearly.
But the original weight of those pieces still colors the whole novel. Over the years and all the drafts, the book changed quite a bit, and the portions based on my grandmother shrank as the story grew into something different. Since she was Taiwanese, and a lot of the circumstances of her story were unique to Taiwan, it made most sense to set the book there. What was the personal significance of involving Taiwan?Ī: Yes, the original seed for this story was my grandmother and the many incredible things that happened in her life. Although it has evolved towards contemporary YA, the book is still set, at least partially, in Taiwan. I loved the book! I read that The Astonishing Color of After began as historical fiction, inspired by your grandmother’s life in colonial Taiwan. Q: Thanks, Emily, for taking the time for this Q&A. I hope (and believe) they’ll find all this and more in The Astonishing Color of After. My hope for Taiwanese American readers, young ones especially, is that they might feel less alone, that they find stories that reaffirm a sense of community and family, however these takes form. She is the third culture question, embodied: how do we navigate a space that is neither entirely foreign nor familiar? But Leigh’s introspection is an earnest and sympathetic one.
So often I am terrified that Asian American works rely too much on our inherent exoticism, that we’d rather mythologize our ancestors than acknowledge their humanity. Pan’s The Astonishing Color of After is a pulsing tide of grief and wonder, chronicling half-Taiwanese protagonist Leigh’s struggle to understand her mother’s suicide. In the past decade – really, in my own little lifetime – I have seen contemporary Asian American literature evolve from brittle myths of otherness to richer montages spanning history, identity, self, and heritage. Pan, author of The Astonishing Color of After. Editor’s Note: I’m so thrilled to share this interview with Emily X.R.
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