On Your Way - Paperback

by Emily Chou (Author), Hillary Chen , Sal Sawler (Editor)

Set in Vancouver between and across the two time periods, On Your Way is a story about imperfect love, breaking patterns, and the music that carries us through it all.

Wallflower Alison Wong has three constants in her life: school, studying, and clandestine guitar lessons from a ghost named Keefer. After her mom sets her up with a peer tutor to fix her unacceptable chemistry grades, Alison finds herself thrust into the thriving indie music scene of the late 90s. Finally, Allison feels like she belongs somewhere, but she has to decide if she'd rather give up on her newfound friendships in order to keep her mom happy, or if she's brave enough to fight for the person she's becoming.

Meanwhile, back in 1971, studious Katherine Chen lives in the shadow of her charismatic older brother, Keefer. She works tirelessly towards her dream of becoming a doctor, yet no one, least of all her father, takes her or her goals seriously. When she helps a mysterious shopkeeper, she is granted a single wish as thanks. Katherine can finally have everything she ever wanted, but at what cost?

Author Biography

Emily Chou is a writer/cartoonist from unceded xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ territory. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, where she served as the Poetry Editor for PRISM international magazine from 2020-2022 and a research assistant for the Initiative for Student Teaching and Research in Chinese Canadian Studies (INSTRCC). Her work has appeared in magazines and anthologies such as Room, Chinatown Today, and Geist. She has lived in the UK, Japan, and Italy and can recommend snacks in all three. She currently lives in Vancouver.