Social workers are far more than the vague image in the public mind would suggest. They play an important role in society that is often overlooked. Within the novel Fantasy World, however, the importance of social work is given flesh and bones. While lawyers worry about winning the case, social workers worry about the possibility of restoration, seeking spiritual compensation for what was lost. The depiction of social workers in Freddy Fu-Jui Tang’s novel are an expression of his commitment to every stage in the process of justice.
The core motivation of Fantasy World is the author’s wish to display the pervasiveness of sexual assault. The collective pain of sexual assault is not a lone tree standing out from the landscape of society – chop it down and be done with it – it is the weeds that we see all around us, almost impossible to uproot. The purpose of art isn’t to lessen this pain, but to display its many facets, and open up more possibilities for dialogue.