A review by amiegold
The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao

dark emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

In The Majesties, Tiffany Tsao opens with a bold and vivid scene portraying a mass poisoning of an entire wealthy Chinese-Indonesian family, over 300 people.  Gwendalyn, the sister of the poisoner and the only survivor, lies in a coma trying to understand why her sister and best friend, Estella, would have done such a thing.  What follows is not so much of a thriller as a peeling back of layer upon layer of family secrets, each more disturbing than the one before.  We travel back through Gwendalyn's memories and throughout the world searching for the answer to 'why did she do it?'.  Though the beginning and the end read like a psychological thriller, the middle reads more like a wealthy family drama, perfect for armchair travelers like myself.

I loved this book and I absolutely adore Tsaos writing style.  As with 'The Remains of the Day', it is quite slow paced and you begin to wonder how much you can really trust the main characters observations and opinions.  If you read it slowly, you can see the parallels between sisterhood and dual worlds, between the beautiful insects she preserves and the daughters themselves, constantly on display, yet trapped and held immobile.  Tsao expertly addresses issues such as racial stereotyping in different countries and gender inequality.  I am sure I will reread in the future!  
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