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A review by mat_tobin
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai
5.0
A fusion text of prose and graphic novel format, Pie in the Sky is an immigration story done with the same smarts as [b:Front Desk|36127488|Front Desk|Kelly Yang|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1507986199l/36127488._SX50_.jpg|51903030] yet with a subtle, wise dose of Patti Kim’s [b:Here I Am|17658592|Here I Am|Patti Kim|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379198697l/17658592._SX50_.jpg|24646750] dipped into the mix. Jingwen is eleven years old when he is brought, unwillingly to Australia by his mother and accompanied by his younger brother, Yanghao. Although he struggles greatly with the English language, there are deeper concerns that stop him from acclimatising to his new home.
Before emigrating, Jingwen’s father – a baker himself who loved to make cakes with his son – passed away and now Jingwen is caught between the internal and external separation from both his immediate family in this new country and the concept of home. Jingwen struggles to acclimatise to this new culture and language but why he finds it harder than his little brother is what makes the reading so good.
Considering that this is Lai’s first novel for KS2 children, this is a highly accomplished piece. What struck me a few chapters in is how well she handles Jingwen's first person, unreliable narrative. Because of his poor English, we are also made to feel like aliens, denied any understanding of what the English speaking characters are saying. We are led to trust his thoughts and judgements and often to our and his detriment. Lai then presents us with a protagonist who can be mean, thoughtless and unfair to both his family and those who are trying to be his friends as he struggles to come to terms with his own insecurities .
I found Pie in the Sky to be an excellent read and would love to know how much Lai herself called upon her own experiences when emigrating from Singapore. Personally, I found the narrative pace to be just right and that partnership between graphic novel and prose was perfectly pitched.
Before emigrating, Jingwen’s father – a baker himself who loved to make cakes with his son – passed away and now Jingwen is caught between the internal and external separation from both his immediate family in this new country and the concept of home. Jingwen struggles to acclimatise to this new culture and language but why he finds it harder than his little brother is what makes the reading so good.
Considering that this is Lai’s first novel for KS2 children, this is a highly accomplished piece. What struck me a few chapters in is how well she handles Jingwen's first person, unreliable narrative. Because of his poor English, we are also made to feel like aliens, denied any understanding of what the English speaking characters are saying. We are led to trust his thoughts and judgements and often to our and his detriment. Lai then presents us with a protagonist who can be mean, thoughtless and unfair to both his family and those who are trying to be his friends as he struggles to come to terms with his own insecurities .
I found Pie in the Sky to be an excellent read and would love to know how much Lai herself called upon her own experiences when emigrating from Singapore. Personally, I found the narrative pace to be just right and that partnership between graphic novel and prose was perfectly pitched.