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soupstix's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-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
4.5
i went into this book with zero expectations aside from the fact that it would be a fantasy novel set in modern-day malaysia—and i was totally blown away.
“black water sister” by zen cho already has all the elements of stories i would typically be drawn to. a contemporary family drama featuring a closeted asian-american lesbian who moves back to malaysia with her parents would’ve been enough to sell me on this novel alone. but coupled with the fantasy plotline of gods and gangsters, this book was everything i could’ve wanted and more.
being set in malaysia, there were a lot of cultural references i missed. this, i didn’t mind because now i have the basis to go on a google search deep-dive, which is going to be a lot of fun for me. these references as well as the author’s decision to use “manglish” and pidgin dialects for the characters that did not have american english as a first language—rather than unrealistically polished english—made the entire world feel really immersive. there was no handholding and dictionary-level definitions/explanations, and as a reader i appreciated not being coddled.
as a fellow asian diaspora lesbian, jess’ story was extremely relatable to me. as i’m younger than her and our family situations are markedly different, i can’t say she felt like any sort of representation of my life, but the beats of her story in her “past life” are familiar—which made her character journey deeply satisfying.
overall, this book has it all. family drama, plot twists, #representation. whenever i had to step away from this book to do other things i felt myself itching to come back for more. i desperately want this to have a sequel—i NEED resolution for whatever sharanya and jess have going on. and i will definitely be checking out zen cho’s other works after this!
“black water sister” by zen cho already has all the elements of stories i would typically be drawn to. a contemporary family drama featuring a closeted asian-american lesbian who moves back to malaysia with her parents would’ve been enough to sell me on this novel alone. but coupled with the fantasy plotline of gods and gangsters, this book was everything i could’ve wanted and more.
being set in malaysia, there were a lot of cultural references i missed. this, i didn’t mind because now i have the basis to go on a google search deep-dive, which is going to be a lot of fun for me. these references as well as the author’s decision to use “manglish” and pidgin dialects for the characters that did not have american english as a first language—rather than unrealistically polished english—made the entire world feel really immersive. there was no handholding and dictionary-level definitions/explanations, and as a reader i appreciated not being coddled.
as a fellow asian diaspora lesbian, jess’ story was extremely relatable to me. as i’m younger than her and our family situations are markedly different, i can’t say she felt like any sort of representation of my life, but the beats of her story in her “past life” are familiar—which made her character journey deeply satisfying.
overall, this book has it all. family drama, plot twists, #representation. whenever i had to step away from this book to do other things i felt myself itching to come back for more. i desperately want this to have a sequel—i NEED resolution for whatever sharanya and jess have going on. and i will definitely be checking out zen cho’s other works after this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Racism
offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
Minor: Death and Outing
jubee's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
megplant's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Rape
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
biatdias's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual assault
thndrkat's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
alwaysshure's review against another edition
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape
unfiltered_fiction's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
Black Water Sister is such an energetic, colourful, intelligent, playful, funny, and insightful take on coming of age as a millennial twenty-something. As a reader, I felt all of Jessamyn's struggles deeply - especially her complicated and exhausting but deeply loving relationship with her family, and the sheer battle of finding the time and energy to carve out a way forwards in this world.
The story is infused with exquisite details of the layered, hybrid culture that Jess inhabits, from Malay food to Hokkien etymology. Zen Cho's writing is considered and nuanced, picking out the good, the bad, and the ugly in every situation and every relationship that Jess experiences. The racism she faces in America and the homophobia she skirts around in Malaysia are both depicted in profoundly simple and emotionally rich prose. This story is rich in intersectional feminism, thoroughly conscious of how different struggles work together to shape us in ways that we don't always like.
The humour in this book is absolutely excellent, punctuating the heavy themes with biting, acerbic wit that only adds nuance to the more difficult material. I particularly loved how Jess interacted with her mother and Ah Ma - I could map some of these conversations directly over chats I've had with my own mother and grandmother! All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read that I'd definitely recommend.
The story is infused with exquisite details of the layered, hybrid culture that Jess inhabits, from Malay food to Hokkien etymology. Zen Cho's writing is considered and nuanced, picking out the good, the bad, and the ugly in every situation and every relationship that Jess experiences. The racism she faces in America and the homophobia she skirts around in Malaysia are both depicted in profoundly simple and emotionally rich prose. This story is rich in intersectional feminism, thoroughly conscious of how different struggles work together to shape us in ways that we don't always like.
The humour in this book is absolutely excellent, punctuating the heavy themes with biting, acerbic wit that only adds nuance to the more difficult material. I particularly loved how Jess interacted with her mother and Ah Ma - I could map some of these conversations directly over chats I've had with my own mother and grandmother! All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read that I'd definitely recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Homophobia, and Racism
Minor: Rape
celinewyp's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.75
I received a copy of this book from Pansing Distribution in exchange for an honest review
Jessamyn Teoh is in trouble. Newly arrived in Malaysia after living most of her life in America, she's broke, jobless, and being actively haunted by the ghost of her grandmother. Now, she has to deal with moving to another continent, get her life on track, and make sure her grandmother doesn't take her body on a joyride in an effort to appease an angered local deity.
This book was written by our very own Malaysian, Zen Cho, and is set in Penang. When we read, we always want to relate to the characters portrayed on the page. Before reading this book, I certainly felt disconnected from some of the characters and worlds I've read before. With this, there's a unique sense of coming home. It's breathtaking to be able to see all the nuances we take for granted in daily life come alive in prose form. For that, I will forever be grateful to Zen Cho.
Not only is this book very relatable to me because of its setting but because of Jess herself. Depressed, in the closet, looking for a job... the only thing I don't have in common with her is the whole haunted by Ah Ma thing. But it still might happen, who knows? The relationships highlighted, especially how a Chinese family functions, are spot-on. Zen Cho managed to encapsulate all our local biases and quirks, our melting pot of culture and Manglish, seamlessly into this book.
The book covers a lot of themes, from the contradictions that arise when East meets West, the gentrification of Penang, the exploitation of foreign labour. It packs a punch while telling a tense and well-plotted story. The thing about Zen Cho is how you can never tell how things will escalate and the stakes will be raised higher and higher. What you can tell from the back of the book occurs in the first half of the book, perhaps. The rest of it shows you how life and circumstances can quickly go out of control. At which point, it's up to the characters to decide how to move forward even in times of turmoil.
With how many local deities and beliefs we have, I believe this book will be one of many tapping into our culture for stories. In fact, I have a friend already writing one. Black Water Sister weaves a stunning tale by tweaking what we already have and creating something believable and instantly immersive. Her take blurs the line between reality and fantasy amazingly well.
All in all, I cannot wait to read more from Zen Cho. Hopefully, there will be more of this style, because I will be sure to eat them up. You know one, right? We Malaysians all love to eat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Murder