Emily X.R. Pan Explores Family Secrets, Identity, and Chinese Mythology in New Novel

Chinese mythology and an exploration of Asian American coming-of-age collide in An Arrow To The Moon, the latest novel by bestselling young adult novelist Emily X.R. Pan. Hitting shelves on April 12, the novel tells the story of Taiwanese American teens Luna and Hunter, who find themselves drawn to each other despite their families having a long history of animosity. As the pair navigate high school and the college application process, they also have to handle things like a literal wind of change and mysterious butterflies that seem to be following Luna everywhere.

We had the chance to ask Pan about her sophomore novel, what it was like creating a modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet, and how she drew on the stories she heard as a child to weave Chinese mythology throughout the story.

Among other things, An Arrow To The Moon is a story about two teens from families who have feuded for decades. Although Hunter and Luna both come from families that immigrated from Taiwan, their experiences are very different in some ways. What drew you to explore that theme in this book?

Hunter and Luna’s parents have similar backgrounds, but Luna’s family considers themselves Taiwanese, while Hunter’s family considers themselves Chinese. It’s a very real and complex point of tension and one that I feel very complicated about for myself. I identify as both Taiwanese and Chinese, but there are many people in my communities who feel differently and are on opposite sides.

In addition to creating your own spin on the Romeo and Juliet story, An Arrow To The Moon is also inspired by Chinese mythology. Hunter is an archer and your version of Houyi, the god of archery, and the aptly named Luna is a spin on Chang’e, the goddess of the moon. Did you grow up hearing or reading these stories? What was the research process for the mythological parts of the book like?

The stories about Houyi and Chang’e were among my favorite myths when I was growing up. It always bothered me that I never saw retellings of them in the media I consumed. Whenever I got my hands on a world mythology book, Houyi and Chang’e would get a small mention at best. More often than not, they were simply absent from the compilations. So I’ve always known I wanted to write my own version of them. As for research, I read many different iterations of their tales. There’s actually quite a variety — they generally have the same broad strokes but with different specific details. Ultimately, I ended up basing my retelling on the version I heard from my dad.

Alongside these mythological elements, both Luna and Hunter also struggle with the issues that real-life teens are very familiar with. Luna is in the thick of the college application process but finds it, and her parents’ constant pressure to be the best at everything, suffocating. What do you remember about the college application process, and do you have any advice for readers who might be feeling similarly to the way Luna does in this book?

I remember that pressure and worry very well. There was the fear that I was making a wrong decision, that somehow my entire future hinged on the question of which school I went to. And there was the external pressure of my parents’ friends, my extended family members all wanting to know where I was applying, wanting to know where I hoped to go, and eager to see if I would be accepted. I was so terrified of rejection — or having it be known that I was rejected — that I applied early decision to a school I was certain I would get into, instead of any of my dream schools. I was so terrified of somehow failing at life — or at least failing to be a good daughter — that I went to an undergraduate business school, where I was absolutely miserable. My advice would be to try your best to shed those external pressures. Life weaves and winds in so many different directions — there is no one thing that alone will make or break It.

Hunter is also under a lot of pressure from his parents, who struggle to understand why he acts up in school and why he doesn’t seem to understand the struggles his parents went through to create a life in the United States. This, of course, is the classic struggle that is often seen in immigrant fiction. What was it like exploring this conflict through Hunter’s eyes?

For Hunter, I wanted the struggle to be dialed up louder, made more dangerous. But I also wanted to turn the idea on its head and intentionally write it such that he isn’t acting up but instead being blamed for things he can’t control and that there is a general inability to connect and communicate about the things this family fears most. I think that fear-induced silence — that wall that goes up — is so common. A family can have so much love, but without connecting and communicating, it might splinter anyway. I wanted Hunter to be soft, loving, and empathetic and still experience that.

Some of the most striking chapters of the book are told from Hunter’s parents’ perspectives as readers begin to understand why the feud between Hunter and Luna’s families began and what it was like for Hunter’s mother to leave Taiwan as a young wife. Why did you want to explore the older generation’s experiences in those scenes?

I knew that I wanted Hunter and Luna to have believable emotional catalysts for their decisions toward the end. But it was also important to me that readers be able to empathize with every character in at least some small way. I wanted to show how each of the parents is trying their best, and so in order to fully capture the different angles and nuances, I had to dive into their heads, too.