Scan barcode
laurareads87's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"You can bargain with anybody, spirit or human. All you need to know is what do they want and what are they scared of. That's all."
Black Water Sister follows Jess, a young Malaysian-American woman who has just moved back to Malaysia with her parents. Just when she's got enough mundane issues to worry about -- not being out to her parents, a long-distance relationship, the challenges of finding a good job post-graduation, the pressures exerted by her extended family -- the voice of her recently deceased grandmother turns up in her head and before long, Jess is (in the author's words) "[fighting] gods, ghosts, gangsters, and grandmas in 21st century Penang." I appreciate so much about this book -- the rich descriptions of the setting, the comedic elements interspersed with more serious themes, and the development of Jess' character. There is a strong feminist element to Black Water Sister -- it centers multiple generations of women, and addresses trauma, violence, loss, and family tensions and divisions with nuance. This is the second of Zen Cho's books I've read, and my favourite thusfar.
<i>Content warnings:</i> sexual assault, sexual violence, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, violence, murder, domestic violence, gore, grief, medical content
Black Water Sister follows Jess, a young Malaysian-American woman who has just moved back to Malaysia with her parents. Just when she's got enough mundane issues to worry about -- not being out to her parents, a long-distance relationship, the challenges of finding a good job post-graduation, the pressures exerted by her extended family -- the voice of her recently deceased grandmother turns up in her head and before long, Jess is (in the author's words) "[fighting] gods, ghosts, gangsters, and grandmas in 21st century Penang." I appreciate so much about this book -- the rich descriptions of the setting, the comedic elements interspersed with more serious themes, and the development of Jess' character. There is a strong feminist element to Black Water Sister -- it centers multiple generations of women, and addresses trauma, violence, loss, and family tensions and divisions with nuance. This is the second of Zen Cho's books I've read, and my favourite thusfar.
<i>Content warnings:</i> sexual assault, sexual violence, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, racism, xenophobia, violence, murder, domestic violence, gore, grief, medical content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gore, Grief, and Medical content
liliakwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I think that Black Water Sister was very well written and I found the plot interesting. I loved the way that Malaysian culture was told in this book and felt that I learned a lot as someone who has very little experience with Malaysian culture, and all of the other cultures inside of it. I thought that this book also addressed generational curses and trauma very well and it felt very realistic, though it is a light-fantasy book. I would have given this book a higher rating, as I felt it hit all things well logically, it's just that for the majority of the book I wasn't super invested in the plot. That isn't to say that I didn't connect with the characters, I just wasn't super intrigued to find out what happened next, so it fell a bit flat there for me. I think that someone else could definitely find it more interesting in that regard though! There is a bit of heavy stuff in this book, so I recommend looking at the trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Violence, Cancer, Xenophobia, Death, and Death of parent
asphodelashes's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Domestic abuse
Minor: Xenophobia
lucystolethesky's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Death, Homophobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Xenophobia, Racism, Outing, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Cancer
mitone_winona's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Before going into how fantastic the author, Zen Cho, did an amazing job doing magical realism during modern times, I praise the author for perfectly capturing family dynamics and how family REALLY is. The story is through the eyes of Jess as she deals with leaving America to go back home to Malaysia as well as the heaviness of wanting to help her parents as well as keeping her girlfriend secret from her family. Not only is Jess dealing with problems stewing in herself, she is also being possessed by the ghost of her grandmother, Ah Ma. Ah Ma has unfinished business of her own and has chosen Jess to carry out her plans so she can finally pass on and be at rest.
Throughout the story, Ah Ma and Jess bicker continuously and Ah Ma doesn't always give a straight answer to Jess instead giving the infamous "Because I told you so" to Jess in response to questions about why in the world does Jess of all people have to deal with gods and gangs and family matters for her grandmother.
While the mentioning of being possessed by a ghost grandmother, dealing with gods and gangs and the consequences of gentrification will throw a viewer in a loop, I promise the author tells the story beautifully and all of it makes sense and this book never has a slow moment.
Jess is a character trying not to be suffocated under the weight of the world, she is a fighter to the bone and that will make you cheer on for her. She is straight forward, smart, and heart breakingly real that you'll feel as if you want to back up Jess' throughout her journey in investigating what is going on, how to make her grandmother leave immediately, and who is Black Water Sister.
For those that like stories dealing with magical realism as well as action and family matters, I encourage you to read this book.
Throughout the story, Ah Ma and Jess bicker continuously and Ah Ma doesn't always give a straight answer to Jess instead giving the infamous "Because I told you so" to Jess in response to questions about why in the world does Jess of all people have to deal with gods and gangs and family matters for her grandmother.
While the mentioning of being possessed by a ghost grandmother, dealing with gods and gangs and the consequences of gentrification will throw a viewer in a loop, I promise the author tells the story beautifully and all of it makes sense and this book never has a slow moment.
Jess is a character trying not to be suffocated under the weight of the world, she is a fighter to the bone and that will make you cheer on for her. She is straight forward, smart, and heart breakingly real that you'll feel as if you want to back up Jess' throughout her journey in investigating what is going on, how to make her grandmother leave immediately, and who is Black Water Sister.
For those that like stories dealing with magical realism as well as action and family matters, I encourage you to read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
fleece's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
incredible as always from zen cho, queer and family-guilt jobless chinese diaspora milennial relatability lmao. definitely darker/heavier than her other works tho still funny and w very loving and caring characters, like clearly everyone is human and understandable and you wish you could solve their problems
may add more spoilery content warnings later,iif storygraph has dms feel free to do so if you need more details
may add more spoilery content warnings later,iif storygraph has dms feel free to do so if you need more details
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Homophobia
Minor: Blood and Gore
More...