HOUSE OF KWA

Mimi Kwa narrates her memoir tracing her family's journey from China to Hong Kong and then to suburban Australia with unflinching candor. At the heart of the story is a legal dispute over the estate of Kwa's beloved Aunt Theresa, which leads to a long history of family tensions. Kwa unravels this history with humor and grace, beginning with her father, Francis, one of 32 children born to a wealthy silk merchant. Compassionately, she recounts how Francis endured the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong during WWII before being sent to Australia to study. She recounts his romance with her mother, a young woman who struggled with undiagnosed mental illness. Kwa makes these family conflicts and cultural expectations enthralling. M.R. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2025]