Review of Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang

*Tomb Sweeping* by Alexandra Chang (2023). Published by Ecco Press.

I’m not the biggest fan of casually reading short story collections. I am very picky when it comes to the kind of short stories I’m reading, and if it’s a collection, it has to be done really well to get praise from me.

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of those writers who creates magic with short stories, and another collection I’ve been enjoying lately is a recent release titled Emergency by Kathryn Alcott. Despite not being a short story girlie, I’ve been reading quite a few lately because of the advance copies I’ve been receiving plus what’s been showing up at my local thrift store.

So it seemed natural that I received an advanced copy of Tomb Sweeping from NetGalley and Ecco. Asian American literature is my most read genre, so this seemed right up my alley with the premise that it focused on the experiences of a wide variety of people, especially Chinese and Asian American women.

Although I did not have a physical copy, I will admit the cover drew me in quite well. It’s perfectly colorful in a way that just works. I wish I did have a physical copy, but I probably won’t acquire one until I source a copy at a thrift store. Before we dig deeper into this review, I want to say I really admired this collection!

Let’s get into why, shall we?

A collection of short stories on immigrants and everyday people.

As I read throughout the book, I began noticing the threads tying these many short stories together. Whether we’re the person in the first short story housesitting and becoming obsessed with a piece of art found in the home, or a grocery store worker finding himself in the same exact socioeconomic and mental situation he was in over a decade ago, these characters are grappling with their pasts and how it continues to impact them in the present day.

The stories that featured Chinese American women especially grappled with this to me, and one of the standout stories was the one about a woman who collects recycling. The story begins with her falling down and the end, but then it goes back in time to show how she got to this point.

An immigrant, she symbolizes so many people who try to start over but when they reach the end, everything is lost and no one pays attention to them despite working so hard.

This juxtaposes wonderfully with one of the stories that comes directly after it about a bright young girl from the countryside of China squashed because she is a woman. She gets married to a man who is successful and they have a child, but she is chasing after fulfillment in her own life and turns to crime because of it. This is only a small snippet of the stories contained with Tomb Sweeping, but I would say this collection is pretty broad yet focused in its scope.

But because there are fifteen stories, it can be a lot to digest in one sitting. I tend to prefer personally shorter short story collections because it allows me to focus on the stories at hand, but I do think Chang wrote all of these stories well.

Some of them I wish were a bit longer, such as the one with the woman who picks up recycling and trash for a living. I really wanted to be more in her world and story, especially as I had just finished reading a book like Paper Names which reminded me of this story.

Some of the stories are a lot briefer compared to others, which threw me off a bit. Chang does a great job of fleshing out these worlds and characters despite the shorter length, but like I said I simply wanted more from some stories.

Perhaps this is a collection that would have served better being split into two different short story collections, as some of the stories in Tomb Sweeping are really good and definitely would stick with many different kinds of readers. Others need more time and devotion.

Overall Thoughts

I know it seems like I’m nitpicking in this review, but I did genuinely enjoy the stories within this collection. I think anyone who seems interested in what they’ve read so far about the book should pick up a copy for themselves and form their own opinions—as with all book reviews, taste is heavily subjective.

There’s a wide range of stories and voices in this collection that can appeal to everyone, and, if you’re into collecting physical books, the cover on this one is indeed gorgeous. I’ll be looking out for Alexandra Chang’s work in the future!

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