Illustration by Ji Yoon Sim | @moonbebb

Author’s Note

‘Jenny’ explores the evolving relationship of a girl and her grandmother Po Po (婆婆 pópo – maternal grandmother in Cantonese). It is a fictionalized continuation of my essay For My Family that I wrote in 2021, and is set in the same universe as the short story Joey that I wrote in 2023.

I began ‘Jenny’ during my fall semester of senior year in 2023. My first few drafts didn’t quite capture the perspective I wanted the story to have. And with life getting in the way, I ended up putting the story down for almost two years. 

I picked ‘Jenny’ back up this past August. Being removed from school for a year while having work experience on top of that allowed me to finally capture all the angles I wanted for the story.

You might notice that there is minimal dialogue in the beginning compared to the middle and end. The increasing amount of dialogue reflects Jenny’s improvement in Mandarin as she gets older, and represents the language barrier Jenny has with her grandmother. 

Whether you identify with the themes of intergenerational immigrant relationships, especially surrounding the Asian American experience, or if you just want to read a story about family and growing up, I hope you find something that resonates with you.