Writers from China's diaspora
'I don't really consider myself Asian ,' says Toronto-based novelist Terry Woo. 'I consider myself Asian-Canadian.' He likens himself to a banana - yellow on the outside, but white on the inside.
'The whole concept of 'banana' is being caught between two worlds,' he says. 'You're not a Canadian and you're not Asian. And both sides treat you that way, too. The whites will never treat you as a Canadian, whereas the Chinese will never treat you as Chinese.'
His debut novel, Banana Boys, which was published in 2000 by Riverbank Press, explored what it means to be stranded between the two cultures. An anonymous reviewer on Woo's website perhaps captures the mood of the book more adroitly than the critics: 'It's about time somebody presents the Asian-Canadian demographic correctly. All major characters are normal Canadian-born Chinese you'd meet in real life; no kung fu masters, no gangsters, and certainly no William Hung!'
The normal guys come from radically different backgrounds, but are united by their Asian-Canadian identity and the struggle they have reconciling their identity: 'Are they Chinese or are they Canadian?' he asks.
Woo says he's trying to carve out a new Asian-Canadian identity. 'There's a whole generation of people who feel exactly the same way I do, who have serious questions about the whole concept of Chinese heritage or what it means.'