Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers

“‘Oh, wonderfully, just wonderfully. He is truly favored by the gods. He’s been in such good spirits these days; he says that things are going swimmingly with his business.’ ‘Ah yes, of course.’ Vera nods sagely as she sips her tea. ‘Well, there is no chance of him not succeeding with you and Lily as his parents.’ She’s not flattering Alex; like many Chinese elders, Vera truly believes that the bulk of anyone’s success is thanks to their parents’ hard work and sacrifice.”

This quote reinforces the theme of Culture and Intergenerational Relationships by introducing filial piety. In an ironic twist, it is later revealed that Alex is Marshall and Oliver’s father and has misjudged both sons due to Marshall’s deception. In this sense, he has failed as a father—though Oliver has turned out to be a son any parent would be proud of.

“‘Ma’am, can you step outside for a moment? I need to take your statement.’

‘Oh, no, thank you,’ Vera says quickly. ‘I need to stay and make sure your friends don’t miss anything.’ ‘What the—?’ the first officer mutters. ‘Hey, ma’am, who drew the outline around the deceased?’

‘Ah.’ Vera swells with pride. They have noticed just how helpful and resourceful Vera is. ‘I do it. I save you some work.’”

This quote highlights Vera’s loneliness and her tendency to overstep boundaries to feel seen and needed. She also suspects that the police might not investigate properly, with her theft of a flash drive creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“[Vera] is sure she would do a better job than they possibly could, because nobody sniffs out wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands, and what does Vera have but time, now that Jinlong is gone and Tilly is off doing god knows what.”

This quote explains Vera’s loneliness as stemming from the death of her husband and distance from her son. Despite these losses, what she has left is her identity as a mother, so she investigates with nurturing in mind.

“So scary EXCITING! I am helpless old lady. What to do? Is my duty to find killer before killer go on rampage. Killer will come back for flash drive. I will identify killer and catch him her them!”

Vera ironically refers to herself as a “helpless old lady,” as she is competent and physically fit. Thinking of herself as helpless simply enhances the excitement of her investigation.

“Young people should be moving fast, take the world by its male genitalia, and so on.”

Overall, Vera is a comical character, often doing or saying things that come off as ridiculous to others. This comedy is key to the cozy mystery genre, in which protagonists—often amateur sleuths—are meant to elicit readers’ amusement.

“Vera’s murder investigation is going so well that she wonders why more people don’t just decide to leave their boring desk jobs and go into detective work. […] Then again, maybe the reason her investigation is going so well is because no one expects a tea expert to also be an expert at solving murder mysteries.”

In addition to being comical, cozy mystery protagonists like Vera are often unassuming—which makes their success in solving cases all the more surprising. Vera exhibits pig-like doting and rooster-like diligence, but both traits are underestimated by those who simply see her as a tea shop owner.

“In her experience, it’s best to nod and agree with what people say before doing exactly what you wanted from the very beginning.”

This quote is typical of Vera: She believes she knows better than anyone else, which she describes as a rooster-like trait. However, it isn’t her cunning that will solve Marshall’s murder but her mothering.

“[Oliver] can’t remember the last time he had food this good, food that doesn’t just fill you up, but also nourishes you, body and soul. With every bite, Oliver can feel the love and care that have gone into the preparation, and both his stomach and his heart are being fed right now.”

Being a mother at heart, Vera feels a need to be needed and care for others. She thus uses food as she does tea—as a form of healing and symbolic mothering.

“‘Disrespectful?’ Vera blinks, as though she’s just been slapped, and Oliver gets it. In Chinese culture, respect only flows in one direction, from the younger to the older, like a river. The older generation doesn’t owe the younger ones respect; if any is given, it is done so out of kindness and generosity, not necessity. So for someone as young as Riki to tell Vera that she’s crossed a line is inconceivable.”

Oliver articulates the theme of Culture and Intergenerational Relationships. While Vera represents traditional Chinese culture, the Americanized Oliver understands that his generation has different priorities than their parents. Vera has just fulfilled her role as a mother by feeding her young friends and now expects the answer (regarding the identity of Marshall’s killer) and veneration owed to her (despite the bluntness with which she asked her question).

“This latter part would be said very meaningfully, with a little sweep of her long-lashed eyes, to drive home what a uniquely open-minded mother she is, especially within the Asian community, which is well-known for driving their children to study medicine or law or business. Who’s ever heard of an Asian parent wanting their offspring to pursue art? She’d remind Sana of this every chance she got.”

Sana’s mother, Priya, means to support her daughter’s ambition and happiness but has failed to uphold the teaching of Chiaoshun—a Chinese parenting style that emphasizes teaching and emotional support—which Vera herself embodies. Without guided practice, Sana lacks the resilience to overcome failure.

“Destiny, Vera thinks, is something to be hunted down and grabbed tightly with both hands and shaken until it gives her exactly what she wants.”

Vera approaches everything from this perspective, including her theft of Marshall’s flash drive and Oliver’s draft. She takes with reckless abandon because she feels she is the best person to have these things, and taking initiative will ensure she maintains control of her investigation.

“[If] you ask me what is the best time of my life, I will say is when I am twenty, still going to school, the world is still full of possibilities.”

In her desire to nurture, Vera embodies the theme of Motherhood and Selfhood. Likewise, Julia desires to be a good mother to Emma. However, this quote highlights the importance of women being more than mothers—which both Vera and Julia understand as being linked to personal hobbies.

“‘I am mother too. Actually, I am Chinese mother. You can’t get better than that. We raise the best children in the world, you just look at any hospital, all the surgeon are Chinese.’ Vera beams with pride, as though she has personally been responsible for all the surgeons in every hospital.”

Despite her son, Tilly’s, emotional distance, Vera takes pride in herself and fellow Chinese American parents. At its best, Chiaoshun, with its balance of teaching and emotional support, results in children who know how to face both success and failure. Vera employs this balance to help fellow mother Julia and her shy daughter, Emma, come out of their shells.

“This is such an Asian mom way of giving a compliment—never give too big of a compliment, always remind the child that there is room for improvement.”

Having an Asian mother herself, Sana’s observation reinforces the theme of Culture and Intergenerational Relationships. While Priya praises Sana in a way that inadvertently pressures her, Vera believes Asian mothers are the best because they both praise and push their children—which, ironically, alleviates pressure by making perfection impossible to attain. Thus, the implication is that one should strive for perfection while knowing one is not a failure for struggling.

“[Her] motto is now: ‘If I could do all that while I was literally homeless, then everyone can do anything they set their mind to.’”

While Priya’s journey from disownment to professional success is commendable, her “everyone can do anything” attitude is unrealistic, as it doesn’t take other people’s circumstances and feelings into account. By contrast, Vera is blunt but always combines empathy and practical guidance when advising other people.

“Julia […] adores Emma. Emma is everything to her, the air that she breathes. But ever since Emma was born, Emma’s also consumed every moment, every thought in Julia’s head.”

In the novel, motherhood is depicted as either nurturing or devouring. In her desire to protect Emma from Marshall and other threats, Julia’s parenting is devouring for both her daughter and herself by blurring Motherhood and Selfhood. She needs balance to be a well-rounded person and avoid the behavior that taints Vera’s relationship with Tilly.

“Nothing fills Vera with quite as much joy as watching loved ones eat her food. It’s one of the many things she misses about Jinlong and Tilly. When it was the three of them at home, she’d cook up a storm every day and watch as Jinlong and Tilly ate, and food always tasted so much better that way.”

For Vera, cooking for loved ones—whether family or suspects-turned-friends—is a joy. It fulfills her need to be needed, regardless of the circumstances. When Alex is eventually arrested for Marshall’s murder, she even goes so far as to visit him in jail with food.

“Maybe you do something slightly bad, so what? Now you learn from it. You have a better judgment now. Better morals, because you learn from your personal mistake. This what life is about, Riki. No one is perfect, making right decisions all the time. Only those who are so privileged can make right decision all the time. The rest of us, we have to struggle, keep afloat. Sometimes we do things we are not proud of. But now you know where your lines are. You are good boy, Riki. You have good heart. That is all that matters.”

Vera stresses the importance of good morals, as children who prove to be good citizens reflect well on their parents. She combines teaching with emotional support, ensuring Riki knows what he did wrong but assuring him that he can do better.

“Somehow, in teaching Emma that flaws can be turned into something unique and beautiful, Sana, too, begins to heal.”

While Priya means well, her talk of perfection has failed to teach Sana resilience—especially in the face of Marshall’s betrayal. In allowing Sana to make mistakes, Vera gently pushes her to grow as an artist and person. Sana then transforms from student to teacher, passing this lesson onto Emma.

“Vera always lived by the belief that life would be much simpler if everyone simply said what they were thinking instead of beating around the bush.”

One of Vera’s rooster-like traits is saying what she thinks, which enables her to break up conflicts among her young friends. The irony is that she causes her own downfall by withholding information from them and the police.

“‘Oh Tilly. You have called.’ She can taste tears at the back of her throat. Her son must have felt that something was wrong through their mother-son bond.”

While Vera means well, her mothering has always been a one-way street. With a call from Tilly, she realizes she needs to let other people care for her as she does them. Like her application of Chiaoshun, a balance must be struck between Motherhood and Selfhood.

. “The truth is, though Vera would never admit it, there is a thrilling feeling of happiness that comes from having your loved ones visit you at the hospital. It’s so out of the way, and so completely not what anyone wants to be doing, that when they do it, you know that the only plausible reason is because they care about you.”

Vera has always been a caretaker, which is a position of control. However, in the hospital, she is forced to be cared for. This new experience restores some balance to her life and relationships.

“‘You like it?’ Sana says. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, better than when I give birth to Tilly.’

‘Ooof,’ Tilly says. Oliver pats his shoulder.

‘Nothing personal, Tilly,’ Vera says, ‘is just that you a very ugly baby.’”

This quote is typical of Vera’s blunt personality but also indicates a change in her and Tilly’s relationship. She loves her son but is no longer so involved in his life that she stifles his independence.