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A review by angelfish257
Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton
3.0
I was really looking forward to reading this, having seen quite a bit of hype around it.
The story is told over dual timelines, Sook-Yin in the 60s and her daughter Lily in the 90s. Sook-Yin moves to London to work as a nurse initially and we follow her as she tries to find her way through different jobs before ending up married to an Englishman due to unexpected pregnancy. Julian promises the world but seems to expect things to land at his feet with no effort or any expectation of a return from him.
In the UK we see how she is the victim of racism and discrimination (while her husband remains oblivious/pretends its not really happening) and after things come to a head there they move back to Hong Kong. Julian shows just how financially incompetent he is among other things and Sook-Yin is determined to provide for her daughters and create a safe space for them.
In the chapters with Lily we begin to understand how her memories of her mum have been slowly been eroded over time by her dad and sister. Lily looks like her mum whereas Maya is white-passing and this adds to Lily's feelings of isolation and being 'less than', especially as she considers Maya to be more successful.
When the mysterious letter arrives advising of an inheritance from a stranger which she must travel to Hong Kong to accept, Lily decides to take action and travels alone to find out more about her family, her mum and how she died.
I did not find this the easiest read, at times I struggled with the slow pace especially with Lily's chapters. I am glad I stuck with it as overall I did enjoy the story, it just did not engage me as much as I was expecting it to. I felt there were gaps that were never properly filled, such as Lily's relationship with her dad and how the discovery of his behaviour affected her memories/feelings toward him. We see a bit of her relationship with Maya towards the end, but I felt this could have been developed more.
I also felt Sook-Yin's brother was treated too leniently - when he finally admitted his reasoning for treating her so poorly there was no resolution. I guess I was hoping for some form of karmic intervention, but the same with Julian - he basically got away with his horrendous behaviour and learned nothing.
Lots of people have loved this book and I'm sure plenty more will - it just didn't engage me like I hoped it would.
The story is told over dual timelines, Sook-Yin in the 60s and her daughter Lily in the 90s. Sook-Yin moves to London to work as a nurse initially and we follow her as she tries to find her way through different jobs before ending up married to an Englishman due to unexpected pregnancy. Julian promises the world but seems to expect things to land at his feet with no effort or any expectation of a return from him.
In the UK we see how she is the victim of racism and discrimination (while her husband remains oblivious/pretends its not really happening) and after things come to a head there they move back to Hong Kong. Julian shows just how financially incompetent he is among other things and Sook-Yin is determined to provide for her daughters and create a safe space for them.
In the chapters with Lily we begin to understand how her memories of her mum have been slowly been eroded over time by her dad and sister. Lily looks like her mum whereas Maya is white-passing and this adds to Lily's feelings of isolation and being 'less than', especially as she considers Maya to be more successful.
When the mysterious letter arrives advising of an inheritance from a stranger which she must travel to Hong Kong to accept, Lily decides to take action and travels alone to find out more about her family, her mum and how she died.
I did not find this the easiest read, at times I struggled with the slow pace especially with Lily's chapters. I am glad I stuck with it as overall I did enjoy the story, it just did not engage me as much as I was expecting it to. I felt there were gaps that were never properly filled, such as Lily's relationship with her dad and how the discovery of his behaviour affected her memories/feelings toward him. We see a bit of her relationship with Maya towards the end, but I felt this could have been developed more.
I also felt Sook-Yin's brother was treated too leniently - when he finally admitted his reasoning for treating her so poorly there was no resolution. I guess I was hoping for some form of karmic intervention, but the same with Julian - he basically got away with his horrendous behaviour and learned nothing.
Lots of people have loved this book and I'm sure plenty more will - it just didn't engage me like I hoped it would.