“I feel I wrote the book my parents dreamed.”
—Fae Myenne Ng

In 1993 Fae Myenne Ng became a national bestselling author with her debut novel Bone. This first book of Ng captured the interest of readers and critics alike, respectfully placing Ng many steps closer to the likes of Laurence Yep and Amy Tan. Now, Ng proudly returns after a fifteen year hiatus with her second novel entitled Steer Toward Rock. And though it’s been numerous years, Ng artistically manages to unveil an intricately beautiful story that successfully balances the thorny complexities we experience between troubled love and maintaining respect for one’s heritage.

Steer Toward Rock is a genuine narrative predominately centered on Jack Moon Szeto, a hard-working butcher living in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1960s. Jack’s personal history is saturated with depressing events: His mother sold him off at an early age and his adopted father, Yi-Tung “Gold” Szeto, snuck him into America to unlawfully establish him as his son. In return, Yi-Tung commands Jack to work off his debt and enter into a marriage to a woman he doesn’t love. Despite Jack’s grim past, he meets and soon falls deeply for Joice Qwan, a vivacious character guaranteed to win over the hearts and libidos of most male readers. Though many of Jack’s confidants try to steer him away from seeing Joice due to her unorthodox lifestyle, she eventually becomes pregnant with a daughter they name Veda. However, Joice’s sublime spontaneity and inspiring nature eventually beckons Jack to seek Joice’s hand in marriage, but she declines later on in the novel. Working through his life’s ordeals, Jack enters the Chinese Confession Program where he unleashes his true identity to the U.S. government. This leads to both his deportation and the fierce retribution sought by Yi-Tung. It’s here where the reader is taken on the proverbial rollercoaster ride which rises high and dives low, often careening left and jerking right. This novel will unquestionably satisfy the literary psyche of any enthralled reader.

The structure of Steer Toward Rock is broken into five sections: (1) the Report, where we learn of the history and early ideals of Jack (2) the Respond, which addresses the challenges and outcomes of Jack’s choices (3) the Requite, which speaks of Jack’s compensation for his endeavors (4) the Return, where Jack wraps up his storytelling and passes the novel’s narration to his daughter Veda, and lastly (5) the Release, where Veda concludes Steer Toward Rock’s narration by humbly accepting her father and his difficult past while choosing to allow herself to live her future in her own fashion.

Though it’s been fifteen years since her first novel, Fae Myenne Ng has certainly made it well worth the wait. The possible dreams of Ng’s parents are now embodied within her deliciously sincere and intense second novel. Ng’s prose reflects the firecracker explosiveness one witnesses during a Chinese New Year celebration. Her command for figurative language is quite stellar, both alive and poetic. Ardently, Ng consecrates her novel with the vibrant emotions that lived in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the 1960s, respectfully giving Steer Toward Rock the spotlight it fully deserves.
      

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