Memoirs that are written by someone in another country, and explore that place and what it is like to grow up and live there get me really excited. And I certainly do not read enough of them. I was all too happy to take on The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir by Karen Cheung, a book that promised an inside view of a remarkable city.
Genre, Themes, History: In the preface, Cheung sets the readers' expectations by stating that her book will only cover the years between 1997 and 2020. July 1, 1997 marked the handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China. But until 2047, Hong Kong will continue to operate under its existing government and economy, though there are certainly tensions regarding this point. The sort of middle ground that the city has since occupied is certainly one primary focus of Cheung's book, especially towards the end, and other prominent topics include an often uncomfortable middle ground the author feels she inhabits within the city; Hong Kong's 'land problem'; the lack of access to mental health resources; and the struggle for artists, musicians, actors, and writers to find a place. As the book comes to a close during the final seconds of 2020, Hong Kong's future is uncertain, and the author's former belief that she will never leave is shaken.
My Verdict: Maybe it is because of my own experience with buying a house, or the crazy housing market that is almost all of Texas right now, but I especially enjoyed the chapter where Cheung explores how difficult it is to find and hold onto a 'home' in Hong Kong, especially for the younger generation. Cheung meticulously goes through each move, and the 22 different roommates she had as a result. And the further I got into the book, the more the title made sense. Hong Kong seems like an 'impossible' city in more ways than one, and that view is coming from someone who grew up there. There is so much packed into less than 300 pages that it made this blog post difficult to write. The book is eye-opening, and interesting, and frustrating, and often hard to read, because it is so honest and thought-provoking.
Favorite Moment: As I said, I enjoyed the chapter about the struggles to find housing in Hong Kong. But I also found the chapter about the somewhat unconventional spaces, namely the warehouses, that artists would use to showcase their talent incredibly fascinating.
Recommended Reading: I recommend both Age of Ambition by Evan Osnos and Dancing with the Devil in the City of God by Juliana Barbassa.
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