Review by jayisreading - Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange

jayisreading 's review for:

Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange by Katie Goh

4.5

informative reflective medium-paced

In a uniquely constructed memoir that is both introspective and informative, Katie Goh explores her identity and heritage through the history of the orange. Each chapter takes place in a different part of the world that coincides with Goh’s memories of that place, which she then cleverly connects the orange and its own ties to that location. In doing so, she reveals not only the complex story of a “foreign” fruit making its way around the world, but also her endlessly shifting thoughts of feeling “foreign” herself.

I think Goh did a great job finding a relatively good balance between history and personal narrative that resulted in a book that didn’t read as messy or cumbersome. It was intriguing to follow her journey and the orange to different parts of the world, as well as how she was able to explore the complexities of identity and history in a clear and succinct fashion. I really appreciated how she highlighted the impact of colonization and imperialism, not only in the development and global spreading of the orange, but also on her as a biracial person whose heritage is Chinese Malaysian and Irish. I almost got the sense that even Goh was a bit surprised by the overlaps of her history with the orange’s own, that it was rather serendipitous that she was able to explore all of this in such a meaningful way.

Something I would have liked for Goh to have explored further in this memoir is her queer identity. She lightly touched on this, but it wasn’t nearly as much as her exploration of being biracial. I felt the synopsis was slightly misleading in the way it gave the impression that queerness would be discussed far more than it actually was. I also found some parts a bit repetitive, most notably the frequent mention of the Atlanta spa shooting. I understood what she was trying to get at, but it seemed unnecessary after the fourth or fifth time.

Overall, though, this memoir was an insightful read, and I’d say Goh succeeded in using the orange as a metaphor without it getting tedious or heavy-handed.

Note: Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC.

Content Warnings