At BCIT, we take pride in staying connected with our alumni and celebrating their achievements throughout their careers. In this interview, we reconnect with BCIT alumnus and author Eddy Boudel Tan to explore his latest novel, The Tiger and the Cosmonaut.
A graduate of BCIT’s Marketing and Communications program, Eddy explores the complicated realities hidden beneath seemingly simple labels. Through twin brothers Casper and Sam, a fictional British Columbia town, and a family caught between cultures, the novel examines identity, belonging, grief, memory and what Eddy describes as “Asian rage.”
The novel’s title refers to the costumes worn by the twin brothers at the centre of the story on the night one of them disappears. During a local festival, community members dress as their alter egos. Casper, who is fascinated by space and idolizes Russian cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, dresses as a cosmonaut. His brother Sam, who loves animals and is more grounded, chooses a tiger costume. “Practically speaking, the title refers to those costumes,” Eddy explained, “but those costumes also represent the differing personalities of these two young boys.”
Identity, Belonging and The Tiger and the Cosmonaut
Although the novel draws upon elements of Eddy’s lived experience, he is clear that it is not autobiographical. “This is not autofiction. It is in no way autobiographical,” he said. “It is a book that’s not about me or my family, but it is about people like me and families like mine.” Eddy is a second-generation Canadian. His parents immigrated to Canada from Brunei, while their own parents were refugees from China who fled during the war and settled in Brunei.
From his experience growing up in Canada, being second generation can create the feeling of being caught between cultures. It involves navigating the expectations of Canadian society alongside those of one’s family, while attempting to build a life in Canada and remain connected to a Chinese heritage. “I wanted to write a story about the experience of being a second-generation Canadian,” Eddy says. He describes this experience as “being caught between the expectations of society and the expectations of my family,” while wanting to assimilate to some degree, find prosperity in Canada and honour his heritage.
The good twin and the bad twin
Casper and Sam are distinguished within their family and community through two apparently straightforward labels: Casper is the “good” twin, while Sam is the “bad” twin. The distinction, however, is not as clear as it first appears. Casper is considered good because he is quieter, more polite and more obedient. Sam is viewed as bad because he is more boisterous and more likely to break the rules. Yet Casper is not necessarily kinder or better than his brother.
For Eddy, the labels placed on the twins reflect the way Chinese Canadians can be perceived by the broader public. “We have a reputation for being obedient and polite,” he says. “In a way, I think that has been a method for survival in previous generations in this society — playing by society’s rules and using that as a way to be accepted.”
The twins therefore become an example of the human tendency to simplify people. Calling one brother good and the other bad makes it easier for those around them to distinguish between two boys who are, in reality, far more complicated than those labels suggest. “Humans often fall victim to oversimplifying people and places when the reality tends to be a lot more complicated and often uncomfortable” Eddy adds.
Asian rage, longing and belonging
According to Eddy, Asian rage stems from being marginalized and made to conform to society’s expectations. “I think it’s the product of being minimized and perhaps made to be smaller and quieter than what we really are,” he says.
Eddy draws on his lived experience and explains that Chinese Canadians may be granted a degree of acceptance and access to privilege as long as they behave according to those expectations. The difficulty is that real identities cannot be contained within such a narrow role. “The truth is our identity is a lot more complicated than that,” he says. “We are not always obedient. We’re not always playing by the rules.”
He also connects it to the long history of discrimination experienced by Asian communities. “It’s the product of having those emotions suppressed for so long,” he says. “And it’s also the product of the discrimination that my community has endured for many generations.”
If you liked this interview and would like to discover more about Eddy Boudel Tan’s writing, upcoming appearances, and current projects, visit www.eddyboudeltan.com, where you’ll find information about his books, media interviews, and events.