Peter Ho Davies' The Fortunes is a multifaceted rumination on Asian-American identity, encompassing the goldrushes to the present day. Thus he immerses himself in the new land, in a laundromat/brothel environment, a place of dubious betterment. The second section portrays historical figure Anna May Wong, who was considered the first Asian female film star. Set in Detroit, it reimagines the murder of young Vincent Chin, who was beaten to death in the early 1980s. The Fortunes raises provoking questions and in-depth analyses around themes of individual and collective identity, discrimination and overt bigotry in modern-day and earlier America.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 05, 2017 18:05 UTC