ALIST_Anniversary2017_Final (2)

An Interview with Novelist Weike Wang
BY MICHAEL MALINER
Weike Wang’s debut novel “Chemistry,” published by Knopf, has received accolades from the likes of The Washington Post, The New York Times
and Kirkus, as well as the literary community at large.
“Chemistry” is about a Chinese chemist who, while working on her PhD in the United States, comes to terms with not wanting to spend her
life as research scientist — while struggling to reconcile Chinese and American cultural norms around gender, academics, careers, identity and
relationships.
Wang and writer Michael Maliner caught up via email to discuss her book as well as her experiences as an Asian woman who immigrated to the
U.S.
to America. You need sponsorship/work, and so we did it the
standard but very long way.
MM: Do you remember realizing that you stood out because
you looked different than most Americans, or because you
spoke a different language?
WW: I was fluent in English when I came to the States, so
language was never a problem. I do, however, remember learning
English in Australia. It was hard. But over time, I just started
to understand the language. Looking back at those pictures, I
see now that I was the only Asian person in my class. But then,
I didn’t realize. No one made fun of me, we were all elementary
school kids. In Canada, I was made fun of for my Aussie accent,
so I dropped it. Then in the U.S., I became more aware of my
race just because that’s what happens when you get older. You get
more self conspicuous/people get meaner, etc.
"In the U.S., I became more aware
of my race just because that's what
happens when you get older."
SAAVEDRA PHOTOGRAPHY
Michael Maliner: Like the nameless protagonist in
“Chemistry,” you are the only child of Chinese immigrants. Do
you remember coming to America?
Weike Wang: Of course, I came here when I was 12. But I had
learned English beforehand. I left China when I was 5, lived for
5 years in Australia, then 2 years in Canada, before coming to
the States. This is fairly standard. Very few families come direct
MM: Were you among few Asians in primarily white schools?
WW: Yes. I went to school in some very rural places. Literally
everyone was blonde, and I suspected something was in the
water. I am not sure if kids in grade school really recognize this
too much. We were all similar in that we were all kids with kid
tendency. But kids are mean. In grade school, a lot of them are
pushing boundaries. I remember a few kids would ask me if X was
true in China.
X could have been:
• Eat dog.
• Eat shit.
• Crawl on the ground and eat shit/dog.
• Walk backwards.
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