Super Short Summary

The Fortunes by Peter Ho Davies is a historical novel composed of four interconnected stories that explore the experiences of Chinese immigrants and their descendants across different generations in the United States. The stories, “Celestial Railroad,” “Your Name in Chinese,” “Tell it Slant,” and “Disorientation,” examine themes of anti-Chinese racism, assimilation, and identity shaped by historical events in China and the US. Characters experience anti-Asian prejudice and violence.