World Famous Love Acts

March 1, 2004
If it's possible to be dubbed a "master storyteller" this early in one's career, then Leung's enchanting debut short story collection most assuredly has earned him the title. As diverse as they are similar, Leung's characters and their conditions run the gamut from elderly widower to precocious youngsters, porn star to AIDS victim, serial killer to estranged sisters, and all are lucidly portrayed in prose that is achingly lyrical and elegantly refined. Leung's stories are startling in their depth and intricacy. "Dog Sleep" is an allegory for all the ways we lose love, while "White Hand" traces the loss of cultural heritage through generations of Chinese Americans. "Leases," the most breathtakingly beautiful of the collection, is a poignant examination of an unorthodox marriage. Throughout, Leung creates characters that leave their mark on the reader's psyche, and he does it with a subtle but sure hand. Though their circumstances may be uncommon, Leung's luminous characters shine with their ennobling power to reveal the common thread connecting us all.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)