We are delighted to welcome Toronto author Nancy Lam to the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, where she will be signing copies of her debut novel The Loyal Daughter at Foo Hung Curios!
As a child and teenager, Nancy Lam lost herself in stories by Canadian writers, in university she majored in Canadian History to earn a Bachelor of Arts before acquiring her law degree. As an immigration lawyer she now helps prospective Canadians write and present their life stories to government officials. Her first novel, The Loyal Daughter, is based on her mother’s immigration story to Canada.
"Remarkably original, sensitive, and startlingly honest."
– Robert Rotenberg, Bestselling author of Downfall
The Loyal Daughter is a novel in stories, told from the perspective of mother, daughter, and granddaughter, spanning the 1940s to modern day. A young woman in a village in Communist China finds herself scrapping her way through the crowded streets of Hong Kong. She immigrates to an isolated Northern Ontario city and finally settles in Toronto. When she finds herself stuck in a small apartment above a clothing store, with four kids, her mother, two siblings, and a husband who is never home, the promise of a new beginning fades. Filled with heart-breaking sacrifices, secrets and joy that shape her identity, The Loyal Daughter stands testament to a woman’s true resilience.
"Based on her family’s story, Nancy Lam’s debut novel spans multiple generations of women in China, Hong Kong, and Canada. As each struggles with poverty, love, and identity, The Loyal Daughter poses the universal question: What Is loyalty — helping one’s family or being true to one’s own self?"
– Jan Wong, author, Red China Blues
Presented in partnership with the Asian Canadian Writers' Workshop, with support from At Bay Press.
Please direct any questions and feedback to info@chinatownfoundation.org
Saturday, October 29, 2 to 3 PM
Foo Hung Curios, located inside the Chinatown Storytelling Centre (168 East Pender St)