My Dearest Friend is a collaborative collection that contains English pieces and Chinese Mandarin translations by my mother, Xiaoyu Luo, and documents our relationship since she was diagnosed with lung cancer. It has 18 previously unpublished original pieces with their respective translations, and also consists of two letters we wrote to each other. The word document contains 40 pages in total.
The collaborative format of the collection is used to explore themes of Buddhist reincarnation, Chinese identity, and the circularity of grief. It is a deeply personal piece of writing that pinpoints a series of life-changing moments in my relationship to my mother and life at large.