besea.n reads… Peach Blossom Spring

By Mai-Anh Peterson

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

Spanning continents and generations, Peach Blossom Spring tells a powerfully moving and beautifully nuanced tale of loss, hope and belonging that opens a window into the history of modern China through one family’s story and their journey to find home. This is a gorgeous, debut novel that will be appealing to lovers of historical fiction and anybody who enjoyed Pachinko or The Mountains Sing. Ahead of the release on 17 March 2022, our very own Mai-Anh Peterson asked author, Melissa Fu, about the book and what home means to her.

Some of this novel is inspired by your father's own history, which he recounted to you once in 1998. Why now, almost 24 years later, have you decided to tell this story?

This is such a good question, thank you for asking. Hmm...why now? I think it's a story I had to grow into. I had to grow into a better understanding of my father and the choices he made. I think probably one of the biggest factors was moving to the UK myself. My husband and I moved here from the US nearly 16 years ago. While I love it now, it was a hard adjustment for me. Although the circumstances of our move and my father's double migration were very different, it did give me an insight into what it feels like to make a new home after leaving one behind. I started to see him more fully and with more compassion once I myself had experienced a big displacement. I also think that becoming a parent made me wonder about my nainai's experiences as a young mother during such turbulent times in China and Taiwan. On another level, I needed to grow as a writer, I needed to cultivate my craft to try to do justice to the complex lives of my father and grandmother's generations. But at the same time, this story came to me with a certain urgency. My father passed away while I was still drafting the book, and many of his generation are fading. Their stories will be lost if they aren't told. No more waiting or stalling, the story seemed to say to me, the time is now. There is a Chinese proverb that used to be an epigraph in early drafts of my book: 'The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.'

What reminds you of "home"? 

For me, even though I no longer live there, New Mexico will always be home. When I remember these scents, I'm reminded of home: ozone permeating the air before a summer monsoon, the spicy crunch of dry cottonwood leaves underfoot in autumn, piñon woodsmoke on a cold winter night with bright bright stars, the whiff of vanilla from ponderosa pine bark warmed by the sun.

Melissa Fu
© Sophie Davidson

What is your favourite homecooked meal? 

Grilled or broiled salmon with a lime, sesame and soy sauce, fresh steamed rice, and stir-fried green beans. I make this a lot, both as a comfort meal and as a celebratory meal.

Top 3 books you'd recommend right now? 

First, Wahala by Nikki May, which just came out in January. This novel is all the best adjectives - funny, sparkling, glamorous, enthralling, sexy, suspenseful, and a damn-good read. Focusing on three mixed-race Nigerian women in London, it's the story of what happens to the friendships between them when a fourth tries to join the gang. 

Next, East Side Voices: essays celebrating East and Southeast Asian identity in Britain, edited by Helena Lee. This collection is astonishing and inspiring. It's the best type of anthology in that it raises up so many distinct voices and experiences and in so doing, makes room for many more. I loved it!

And a third book that I'm looking forward to (I'm cheating a bit here) is The Flames, by Sophie Haydock, out on 17 March. Having read some early chapters, I know it's going to be something special. I always like books that challenge what we think we know about something, in this case, the artist Egon Schiele, and recast the story from different, previously unheard perspectives.

Are you Team Rice or Team Noodle? 

Ooh, is there a Team Dumpling? [Ed: No, but there SHOULD BE].

Okay, okay, I'll answer the question. I'd say that Team Rice is my first love, and like my father, I never leave a grain of rice behind in my bowl. But I will admit to having spicy, steamy affairs with Team Noodle. In this case, I think fidelity is overrated. Can you honestly blame me?

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu, is available to pre-order now at all good bookstores, and will be published on 17 March 2022.

Don’t forget to check out our Instagram competition to win a free copy of the book!