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A review by despinareviews
Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew
5.0
This novel follows Lilly – daughter of Chinese immigrants in Canada throughout her journey to motherhood after being abandoned by her own mother in childhood. Her father was previously stateless in Brunei and works in the mines in British Columbia with a ‘chip on his shoulder’ about management. Her mother, Swee Hua, misses home and feels completely out of place in Canada, finding it difficult to connect. Their complicated background and characters are really what makes this story compelling, and the way it affects Lilly and her younger sister Bea is a way of showing just how deeply people affect one another.
Every character is flawed, every decision made having more than one perspective to it. Each person has their own baggage and background and seeing all of this play out was incredibly compelling. Themes such as race, culture, customs, identity, statelessness, language, sense of belonging, family relationships and so much more are covered in such a beautiful and moving way in this book, I was truly touched and it made me think quite long and hard about what it means to belong, what home is ... one of those unable to stop listening books.
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Hui. Her narration was quite slow and deliberate, each sentence taking its time. I personally listened on 2x speed because I like to read my stories a bit faster than that, but the pacing of her narration was excellent given the type of story this was.
Trigger warnings:
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bespeak Audio Editions via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily – this has not affected my review in any way.
Full length review available on my blog
Every character is flawed, every decision made having more than one perspective to it. Each person has their own baggage and background and seeing all of this play out was incredibly compelling. Themes such as race, culture, customs, identity, statelessness, language, sense of belonging, family relationships and so much more are covered in such a beautiful and moving way in this book, I was truly touched and it made me think quite long and hard about what it means to belong, what home is ... one of those unable to stop listening books.
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by Jennifer Hui. Her narration was quite slow and deliberate, each sentence taking its time. I personally listened on 2x speed because I like to read my stories a bit faster than that, but the pacing of her narration was excellent given the type of story this was.
Trigger warnings:
Spoiler
suicide mention, child abandonment, mental health issuesI received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bespeak Audio Editions via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily – this has not affected my review in any way.
Full length review available on my blog