Keltner, Kim Wong 1969(?)-

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KELTNER, Kim Wong 1969(?)-

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1969; married Rolf Keltner (a speech therapist); children: Lucy. Education: Attended University of California, Berkeley.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco, CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10022.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

The Dim Sum of All Things (novel), Avon (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Kim Wong Keltner's first novel, The Dim Sum of All Things, tells the story of Lindsey Owyang, a twenty-five-year-old, third-generation Chinese American trying to come to terms with her ethnic heritage. Working as a receptionist at Vegan Warrior magazine, Lindsey shares an apartment with her Chinese grandmother who, unlike her parents, is thoroughly entrenched in Chinese culture. Lindsey's knowledge of the Chinese language and culture is rudimentary; she is a thoroughly Americanized and modern young woman who is dating a white coworker. Lindsey cannot, however, shed a vague sense of confusion over her bicultural identity, and she feels guilty for having skipped Chinese school as a teenager. Eventually, she accompanies her grandmother on a trip to China and gains a deeper understanding of and appreciation for her roots while at the same time discovering a family secret.

The Dim Sum of All Things has some autobiographical traits, as Keltner drew inspiration from her own upbringing as a third-generation Chinese-American in San Francisco. In an interview with Edward Cuthmann for the San Francisco Chronicle, Keltner admitted that the character of Lindsey was based largely on herself. But she also noted that "as time goes by, you sort of realize that the things that happened to you aren't really as interesting as you think they are.… So the people in the book became their own characters."

Reviewers responded warmly to the novel, with several placing it in the "chick-lit" category. Karen Core, writing in Library Journal, called the book a "multicultural chick-lit tale" and said it was "satisfying on many levels," while Booklist contributor Kaite Mediatore contended that "believable characters in realistically outlandish situations raise this book a few notches above standard chick-lit fare." Kelly DiNardo also praised the novel's "feisty humor" in USA Today.