★作者Emily Chou為加拿大哥倫比亞大學華裔加拿大研究教育單位(INSTRCC)代表作家

A powerful coming-of-age graphic novel about imperfect love, breaking patterns, and the music that carries us through it all.

Set in Vancouver between and across two time periods, infused with just a touch of magical realism, On Your Way tells the parallel stories of two Chinese-Canadian teens as they each navigate the gulf between their desires and their families’ expectations. Though decades apart, their lives are linked by the neighbourhood they call home, a music-loving young man, and a devastating tragedy.

Wallflower Allison Wong has only three constants in her life: school, studying, and secret guitar lessons from a ghost named Keefer. When her mom sets her up with a peer tutor for chemistry, Allison finds herself thrust into the thriving indie music scene of the late 90s, and finally she starts to feel like she belongs. Soon Allison will have to decide: would she rather give it all up to keep her mom happy? Or is she brave enough to fight for the person she’s becoming?

Meanwhile, in 1971, studious Katherine Chen lives in the shadow of her older brother, Keefer. She works tirelessly towards her dream of becoming a doctor, yet no one, least of all her father, will take her or her goals seriously. Then one day, after helping out a mysterious shopkeeper, she is granted a single wish as thanks. Katherine can finally have everything she ever wanted, but at what cost?

 

Emily Chou is a writer and cartoonist from Vancouver, who ran away to the UK, Japan, and Italy, and now finds herself right back where she started. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, where she served as the Poetry Editor for PRISM international magazine from 2020-2022 and a research assistant for the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC). Her work has appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Room, Chinatown Today, and Geist. Her debut graphic novel, On Your Way, was her MFA thesis and the recipient of a SHRCC grant.