The Many Daughters of Afong Moy explores the transgenerational trauma inherited through epigenetics. Jamie Ford weaves a beautiful tale that spans 250 years following seven women — the first Chinese woman to set foot on American soil, Afong Moy, and her descendants. Through captivating storytelling that is at times tragic, Ford reimagines the definition of inheritance and examines if we can pass down that which is more than grief, something stronger, like courage, strength, and love.

As someone who wrote half her dissertation on epigenetics, I was instantly intrigued by the premise when I saw it on BOTM. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is divided into three acts. The first introduces the different women, not in chronological order, the second follows their snippets of life and their suffering, and the final act focuses on Dorothy from 2045 trying a new experimental epigenetics treatment to mitigate inherited trauma in order to give her daughter a better life.

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is by no means a light read, especially the heavy topics of abuse and racism, and I had to take little breaks to get through the second act. The epigenetics treatment doesn't really make sense either and perhaps is better interpreted as magical realism than sci-fi. Regardless, the idea of epigenetics is refreshing in a genre mainly focused on AI or genetic editing. With seven POVs, Ford manages to infuse each character with a unique voice. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is a spellbinding epic told through generations that examines transcendent love and what we are willing to sacrifice for a brighter future.