Denison Avenue: A Novel by Christina Wong, Illustrated by Daniel Innes

Denison Avenue: A Novel by Christina Wong, illustrated by Daniel Innes is both an experience and an adventure into reading and visual art, like no other. The book is uniquely structured. It is divided into two parts, a very poetic and beautifully written part, by author, playwright, and multidisciplinary artist Christina Wong. This written story is followed by an illustrated version created in detailed ink artwork by artist, illustrator, and tattooist Daniel Innes. These two multi-talented creators have combined their talents and come up with a breathtaking novel that demands to be read, seen, and studied. Denison Avenue is a spectacle of images and words like nothing I have encountered.

Denison Avenue is set in Toronto’s Chinatown-Kensington Market area, but it could very well be set in any North American city. Within the downtown areas of large cities, one can find a Chinatown like the one described in Denison Avenue. An area once populated by many Chinese people, going about their day busily collecting their groceries, visiting with friends, and making their way to appointments. All of this is done on foot inside the community they have lived in for much of their lives. They are the people who have lived, worked, and raised families inside of this cultural microcosm, held within the greater core of any busy downtown centre. Denison Avenue couples the aging of the population into a dual timeline with the physical structural aging of the community. The people are aging and crumbling, along with the neighbourhood buildings, as vacancies and dilapidations leave little but memories in their wake. The gentrification of Chinatown is peeling away culture, history, and the community – restructuring life as it once was.

The story follows Cho Sum, whom we are introduced to as she experiences the death of her long-time partner in a gripping scene at the hospital. A translator is called in to explain the situation and Cho Sum’s grief is palpable as she tries to understand her demise. Throughout the story, English is spoken, along with a Toisan dialect, which creates a beautifully “real” feel to the novel. This dialect is written so the reader who is unfamiliar with the language can sound it out and recognize it when phrases are used again later in the story. The English translation is immediately presented, and the reader is never lost between English and the Toisan dialect. The writing is so powerful, that I felt as though I was present with Cho Sum, on her journey. I felt right beside her in the hospital, as she was trying to collect herself after her husband’s death, and onward. Cho Sum connects with an old friend who teaches her the ropes of bottle and can collection with a push cart from the streets of Chinatown. It is on these treks that we learn more about Cho Sum; more of her past, her wishes, and her imaginings. She gathers her thoughts and memories, along with the discarded bottles and cans, placing them inside her cart. She is bravely going on, to navigate the collapsing streets and buildings in Chinatown, just as she was collapsing emotionally and spiritually on the inside.

Once I finished the story by way of reading the written words, I flipped the book over. This began Denison Avenue anew, but this time using the stunning artwork of Daniel Innes to tell the story. His wordless account shows Cho Sum’s unmistakable cart, as she collects bottles and cans, alongside the diminishing of a community. Chinatown’s physical shape goes from a clearly vibrant community to a community falling into ruin. The streets, buildings, and businesses are pictured as thriving initially, but in the subsequent images are shown as lacking, falling into disrepair. Innes’ precise artwork details this feat of story-telling solely by illustrations and is by itself captivating. The combination of putting both sections of Denison Avenue together, the written story and the graphic art story, to achieve the full and all-encompassing dramatic tale in both words and imagery, is an absolute genius in storytelling achievement.

Denison Avenue is a work of fiction but it could be happening right now in so many Chinatowns, in so many large cities, around the world. Christina Wong has mixed her strong poetic writing with her brilliantly created characters, especially Cho Sum, to design a story that is destined to follow its reader long after the book has finished. The heartbeat that Christina Wong has conjured in her character of Cho Sum, beats along simultaneously inside of the reader. Cho Sum is introduced to bottle collection, coffee drinking with new-found friends, and generally continuing with a life where she tries to find comfort and meaning. Denison Avenue is a heartbreaking and touching account, beautifully rendered. After I had finished the book, I found myself returning to it and discovering new, rich details in both the writing and graphic artwork. This is a strong work that deserves to be savoured on the many levels for which it was created.

Denison Avenue: A Novel is a wonderful and important addition to Canadian literature. It is currently on the shortlist for Canada Reads 2024, and will be championed by Calgary’s former mayor, Naheed Nenshi. Truly a perfect match to herald this superb work! I hope that this book finds its way to classrooms, book clubs, and libraries, where it is so worthy of being. Pick up a copy and get lost between the pages and the streets of Denison Avenue. It is quite simply an unforgettable work.

Daniel Innes’s extensive portfolio includes painting, installation, graphic and textile design, illustration, sign painting, and tattooing. He uses traditional commercial art techniques, with a focus on the process. Daniel was born in the north end of Toronto and has lived in the Spadina–Chinatown neighbourhood for over 20 years. Watching the neighbourhood change over the years has ended his love affair with Toronto. His time is now spent between Toronto and his studio (an artist residency project) in Hyōgo, Japan.

Christina Wong is a playwright, prose writer, and multidisciplinary artist who also works in sound installation, audio documentaries, and photography. Christina grew up with the sights, smells, and sounds of Toronto’s Chinatown and Kensington Market neighbourhoods, which have shaped her identity and view of the world.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ ECW Press (May 2 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 177041715X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770417151

Carrie Stanton

Managing Editor

TMR’s Managing Editor Carrie Stanton has a BA in Political Science from the University of Calgary. She is the author of The Jewel and Beast Bot, and picture books, Emmie and the Fierce Dragon and The Gardener. Carrie loves to write stories that grow wings and transport readers everywhere. She reads and enjoys stories from every genre.