Midnight at the Dragon Café

In this engaging debut novel the reader is drawn into the life of a young Chinese girl torn apart by dark family secrets and divided loyalties in a small Ontario town in the 1950's.

A really good look at the realities of being an immigrant, in this case Chinese, and how they struggle to survive once they arrive. Book did a great job describing life in a small town, the realities of struggling to keep a business going and the importance of saving face & pride in Chinese culture. Although, the level of deception and tragedy was soap-opera-like in it's twists and turns. Worth reading.

A really interesting book about the immigrant experience in small-town Ontario.

Very interesting.

I was surprised this was rated For Teens. The topics covered were very adult. Violent suicide, etc

Interesting story of the Chinese immigrant experience in Canada during the 1960s. The burden of saving face, keeping family secrets and obeying your elders are familiar themes for those who have read Chinese fiction. It wasn't as riveting as expected, considering it was chosen as the one book to read for Toronto this year. An interesting and fast read nonetheless.

This book was a great read! It was easy to read and I really looked forward to reading it. It gave good insight into the Chinese culture and some of the difficulties faced in coming to a new culture and what it was like to feel like an outsider. I have already put holds on for the author's other books.

Selected by Toronto Public Library for the 2011 Keep Toronto Reading One Book program.

"Set in a small Ontario town in the 1960s, Fong Bates’ debut novel tells the story of a young Chinese girl and her family – the owners of the only Chinese restaurant in town.

"Written in spare, intimate prose, Midnight at the Dragon Café is a vivid portrait of a childhood divided by two cultures and touched by unfulfilled longings and unspoken secrets."

Engrossing tale of tragedies and survival. I couldn't put it down.

Interesting story of a Chinese family in small town Ontario in the 1960s from a young Chinese girl's perspective.