The Impossible City
2022 book by Karen Cheung
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir is a 2022 memoir by Karen Cheung, published by Random House.
First edition | |
| Author | Karen Cheung |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Memoir |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 2022 |
The book documents her growing up in Hong Kong and her familial relationships, as well the beginning of her interest in politics during the Umbrella Movement and scenes of counterculture.[1]
Contents
The book's narrative begins in 1997, when Hong Kong has its sovereignty transferred to China during the Handover of Hong Kong. At the time Cheung was age four; she was born in Shenzhen but went back to Hong Kong shortly afterward. She attended first an international school and then a government-funded school after her family's financial situation deteriorated.[2]
The narrative ends when the Hong Kong National Security Law is imposed on 1 July 2020.[2]
Reception
Kirkus Reviews described it as "A powerful memoir of love and anguish".[3]
Publishers Weekly stated that the strongest sections were the "personal missives about city life" and that the work is "a riveting portrait of a place that’s as captivating as it is confounding."[4]
The book was longlisted for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction.[5]
