Q&A With Tong Ge

Mickey Mikkelson connected me with author Tong Ge who wrote the historical fiction novel The House Filler. I am so thrilled to be doing this Q&A with her today!  Ronsdale Press » Ge, Tong

Q: Tong, would you give a brief description of The House Filler? 

A: The House Filler tells the story of Golden Phoenix, a woman born in early 20th-century China, when beauty was still determined by foot size. Her feet are bound at six, missing the ideal age, resulting in “silver waterlily feet” instead of “golden.” Forbidden from education, she grows up illiterate.

As a teenager, she becomes a successful seamstress to support her family. At 26, she marries a widower twenty years her senior. In those days, a woman who married a widower was known as a “House Filler.” While serving her new family, she longs for a son to secure her status. After giving birth to a son, her stepson Qi and his wife plot against the child, fearing for their inheritance. When their scheme is exposed, they are expelled.

After the death of her in-laws, Golden Phoenix moves into a new house built by her husband and enjoys a brief period of happiness. Following his untimely death, she is unable to support her five children and is forced to give her twin sons, Wen and Wu, to the Red Army, while keeping her remaining children, Zhong, Daisy, and Orchid. The girls soon disappear during this critical time.

The Second Sino-Japanese War forces them to flee to Luoyang. In a refugee camp, Zhong joins the Nationalist army. Returning to their occupied hometown, Qi, now a Japanese collaborator, targets Golden Phoenix continually for hidden treasures and to exert his power.

Golden Phoenix’s bond with Xiao, her adopted son, reveals a past-life romance. Despite societal norms, they marry secretly. Later, after being raped by a Japanese soldier, she joins the communist underground, making clothes for soldiers and carrying messages.

Her son Wu, injured and separated from his unit, returns and hides with a local family. He becomes a communist spy, gathering intelligence and marrying Snowflake. Daisy marries Big Ox.

After Japan’s surrender in 1945, a civil war erupts between the Communists and the Nationalists. The Communists win the war and take power in 1949. Wu is falsely accused of being a traitor and sentenced to death. Desperate, Golden Phoenix seeks help from his former comrade, one who rose to an influential position, who refuses to assist. Wu is sent to a prison in Xinjiang, where he awaits execution.

Innocent Big Ox, Daisy’s husband, is executed during the Suppress Counterrevolutionaries Campaign in 1950. Orchid, now married, moves Golden Phoenix and Xiao to Shaanxi and supports them. Golden Phoenix’s life goal is to keep her promise to her late husband, to keep her children safe and her family together. However, in the end, the only person by her death bed is her true love, Xiao.

Q: What made you want to have your first novel be a historical fiction novel that takes place during China during a tumultuous period in the early 20^th century?

A: This book is based on my grandmother’s story and spans the period from 1920 to 1966, making it a work of historical fiction.

Q: What lessons & emotions do you hope readers learn & feel after reading The House Filler?

A: What happened in early 20th-century China is still relevant today—wars, totalitarian regimes, poverty, and the ongoing issue of gender inequality in many parts of the world. As a species, we haven’t advanced as much as we might think. People need to be aware that freedom is never truly free; it can be taken away in an instant if we’re not vigilant.

I also want my readers to consider this question: Are humans inherently cruel, merely pretending to be civilized until circumstances like war strip away our veneer? Or are we fundamentally kind, with war turning us into beasts? I believe that without consequences, humans are capable of committing atrocities against one another. While some readers have cried while reading the book and even warned others to have tissues ready, I hope they do not only feel sadness. Instead, I want them to be inspired by the resilience of the human spirit and to recognize that we are stronger than we realize. There is hope.

Q: How does it feel knowing that The House Filler has been praised by the Miramichi Reader, Historical Novel Society & The Epoch Times? 

A: I see it as a validation of my writing ability, which is very important to a writer. It feels great. Additionally, the book has won the 2024 Independent Book Award for New Fiction and is a finalist for the 2024 Canadian Book Club Award for Fiction.

Q: Is your upcoming novel going to be a sequel to The House Filler or will it be a solo novel with a different story and characters?

A: My next book, The Pinioned Bird, follows the next generation of the family with a new protagonist. Golden Phoenix appears as a supporting character. While it is not a typical sequel, it is closely related to the first book.