Monica Tsai sets out to help her grandmother, Wong Yun, reconnect with her long-lost cousin, Chen Meng, the one she rarely spoke of, yet shared a childhood with in the old family business, the Phoenix Pencil Company of Shanghai. It’s been over seventy years since Yun last saw Meng, and both women have lived through the Occupation of Shanghai, a time that shaped and scarred them in ways words can barely capture.
What fascinated me most was how The Phoenix Pencil Company blends magical realism with historical fiction. The secret of pencils, the mysterious ability of the women in the company to Reforge, becomes a haunting metaphor for power, memory, and creation. A pencil, after all, can write, heal, and harm at the same time.
I love how Allison King intertwines the weight of history with the importance of remembering and speaking the past. Yun and Meng are portrayed not just as survivors but as women who carried a secret that demanded silence until Monica’s search forces it into the light.
Monica, raised by her grandparents after her parents’ absence, is determined to make this reconnection happen, even as Yun’s memory slowly fades. Her journey becomes more complicated and heartfelt when she meets Louise, a stranger who fortunately crosses their path during the search. I found the queer romance between them a bit overemphasized, perhaps more for modern appeal than depth.
What truly stood out for me, though, was the bond between grandparents and granddaughter. It’s the emotional core of the story, reminding us how love and memory intertwine across generations.
Overall, The Phoenix Pencil Company is a quiet yet evocative read, a story of art, memory, and the women who learn that even something as simple as a pencil can hold the power to change lives.