All that Matters by Wayson Choy is the sequel to his earlier book, Jade Peony. Set in British Columbia during the 1930’s and 1940’s and tells of the Chen family, first introduced in the previous book. This time, the focus is on the First Son and Oldest Brother, Kiam-Kim, instead of the younger children but still describes their strict but loving upbringing in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

Kiam comes to Canada with his father and his grandmother, the fabulous Poh-Poh. His mother died in China and Poh-Poh is raising him. Although the father cannot marry again, to avoid upsetting his first wife’s ghost, a companion is brought into the family that Kiam calls Stepmother. She gives birth to a girl, and a boy and they also adopt an orphan boy. Kiam leans that he must always lead the way and set an example for his younger brothers and sister. But for me the star of the book is the grandmother, Poh-Poh. She is the heart and soul of the family, she decrees everyone’s roles, and teaches the children life lessons through her stories of ghosts and curses. And her dire warnings of “Me die soon” help her always get her own way.

These two books truly tell the early Chinese immigrants story. How they came to Gold Mountain, which was their name for Vancouver and set down roots in a new country yet continued on with their customs, culture and language. The younger generation on the other hand becomes much more assimilated in their new country of Canada. All That Matters was as beautifully written as the first novel, and as much as I enjoyed reading about the Chen family again, it did feel a little repetitive as the storyline was so similar to The Jade Peony. ( )

A good depiction of Chinese culture as it meets with Canadian society in the 1920s to 40s. About a boy growing up in that era, and his rebellions, could place that in any age. ( )

In All That Matters, Wayson Choy expands on the story of the Chen family first introduced in The Jade Peony. This time, Choy makes use of a single narrator, the eldest son, who has recently arrived on the west coast with his grandmother and father. What I really like about Wayson Choy's work is not only his flowing style but also the content of the plot which, with a refreshing and sometimes brutal, frank voice describes the two solitudes experienced by most first generation Canadians. ( )

It was just ok for me. I kept waiting for more to happen in the book which sadly never did. There was never a point where I felt like I needed to know what happened next. Only good thing about the book was that it takes place in Vancouver where I grew up so it was neat to recognize the different areas of the city and hear about how they have changed. ( )

Not up to the same quality of Jade Peony, which is a true masterpiece, but still an engaging look at Chinese Vancouver leading up to the Second World War. In my mind, most books pale in comparison to Jade Peony. All That Matters is a nice counterpoint to Obasan, which shows the same period of Vancouver's history from a Japanese perspective. Read Jade Peony first, which sets the stage, then enjoy All That Matters. ( )