The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

For a living, Dorothy Moy smashes her own heart.

That's how the former poet laureate of Washington describes incorporating her mental health issues and dissociative experiences into her work. However, Dorothy feels as if the past is really coming back to haunt her when her daughter, who is five years old, starts acting similarly and recalling details from their ancestors' lives. Dorothy seeks drastic assistance because she believes her kid is doomed to experience the same crippling despair that has characterized her own life.

Dorothy has a close relationship with previous generations of women in her family via an experimental therapy intended to lessen inherited trauma: The first Chinese woman to set foot in America was Afong Moy. Other Moys include Faye Moy, a nurse in China who served with the Flying Tigers; Zoe Moy, an English student at a renowned school with no rules; Lai King Moy, a girl who was placed under quarantine in San Francisco during a plague outbreak; and Greta Moy, a tech executive who created a novel dating app.

As her life is impacted by unpleasant memories, Dorothy learns that trauma isn't the only trait she inherited. A stranger is searching for her in each time period. a complete stranger who has supported her throughout all of her inherited memories. Dorothy, aware that there may be a final cost, strives to halt the cycle of suffering and desertion, bring her daughter some peace, and obtain the love she has long craved.