Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse and death.

“Vera should be content. And she is, really. But she’s also kind of—dare she say it—bored. Sometimes, all an old lady wants is a murder to solve. Is that too much to ask for?”

Vera’s dry humor challenges ageist expectations of passivity and domestic contentment. Though she is overjoyed to have a large, extended family, her investigator’s brain also longs for a juicy mystery to solve. Vera comes across as comedic and subversive, establishing her character early in the novel.

“And anyway, the old lady promised her tea, and Millie really wants tea. And maybe unexpected is bad, but how bad can it be when it includes a little old lady? Little old ladies are known for being harmless.”

Millie’s thoughts reveal that she is underestimating Vera based on ageist assumptions. The sentence “Little old ladies are known for being harmless” is an example of dramatic irony since readers are aware that Vera is far from a “harmless” “little old lady.” The irony foreshadows that, contrary to appearances, Vera will stir up trouble for Millie.

“As Millie watches in wonderment, Vera brews her tea just like her nainai used to, pouring scalding hot water all over the teacups and then throwing out the water. She smiles at Millie as the tea steeps, then lifts the tiny teapot daintily and pours it into four teacups. ‘Two each,’ Vera says. ‘Come, you drink while is hot.’”

This quote emphasizes how rituals become a language of cultural memory and intimacy. Vera’s way of brewing tea mirrors the practices of Millie’s grandmother, evoking warmth and safety. This passage also highlights the motif of food and tea that runs through the novel, showing how they are symbols of nurture, family, and safety.