Tomb Sweeping Stories

Tomb Sweeping Stories by Alexandra Chang is a short story collection published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2023. This 239-page book presents a playful and deeply affective exploration of the histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships. Through a variety of characters, including immigrant families and grocery store employees, Chang delves into the complexities of loyalty and connection in both familiar and unfamiliar settings.
Readers will find a diverse array of narratives that probe the intricacies of family life and cultural heritage. The stories feature a woman known as “the Asian recycling lady,” a college graduate reflecting on lost friendships, and an unfulfilled housewife in Shanghai seeking fulfillment in unexpected places. Each character navigates the challenges of identity and community, inviting contemplation on the nature of human connection and the experience of living fully. Tomb Sweeping Stories offers a rich tapestry of experiences, highlighting the nuances of relationships and the impact of cultural backgrounds.
Official synopsis Publisher
A playful and deeply affective short story collection about the histories, technologies, and generational divides that shape our relationships–from the award-winning writer of Days of Distraction
Compelling and perceptive, Tomb Sweeping probes the loyalties we hold: to relatives, to strangers, and to ourselves. In stories set across the US and Asia, Alexandra Chang immerses us in the lives of immigrant families, grocery store employees, expecting parents, and guileless lab assistants.
A woman known only to her neighbors as “the Asian recycling lady” collects bottles from the streets she calls home. A young college grad ponders the void left from a broken friendship. An unfulfilled housewife in Shanghai finds a secret outlet for her ambitions in an undercover gambling den. Two strangers become something more through the bond of mistaken identity.
These characters, adeptly attuned to the mystery of living, invite us to consider whether it is possible for anyone to entirely do right by another. Tomb Sweeping brims with remarkable skill and talent in every story, keeping a definitive pulse on loss, community, and what it means to feel fully alive. With her debut story collection, Chang further establishes herself as “a writer to watch” (New York Times Book Review).
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