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A review by papergalaxy
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this e-ARC. All thoughts are my own.</i>
A great ghostly tale that starts slow, but finishes strong. 4/5 stars.
Jess has just finished undergrad at Harvard, but is struggling to find a job when her family decides to move back to Malaysia for her father's work. She goes back with them, not knowing that her recently passed grandmother (Ah Ma) has stuck around and has chosen Jess to be her medium. Jess had never truly believed in the supernatural before, but her Ah Ma is making her believe and is also forcing Jess to handle her unfinished business.
I really enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slow and it took some time for me to really become invested in the story, but once the ball got rolling I was hooked. I find Jess to be incredibly relatable. She was me back when I had just finished undergrad. Unclear where she wants to go with her life, but knowing that whatever decisions she makes will reflect not just on her, but on her mom and dad as well. Such is the life of a first generation Asian American. We see her consistently struggling with her identity in this book - both as someone who doesn't fit as American or Malaysian, and also as a closeted LGBTQ. This journey that she goes through helps her become more confident in herself and in those around her. Her transformation is believable because it doesn't happen all of a sudden. It's a slow process in which the Jess at the end is so incredibly different from the Jess at the beginning, but it's so seamless you don't even realize how drastic the change is until you look back at where it all began.
I found a lot of Jess' family members to be <i>too</i> relatable. There were so many moments I got annoyed with Jess' relatives. Although this is amazing on the author's part, I found myself getting pulled out of the story because I kept getting thrown into memories of my own. The Ah Ma in particular reminded me too much of one of my aunts and how frustrating it can be to communicate with someone so stubborn in their own beliefs. There's also a scene in the beginning where Jess is literally sitting with a bunch of her aunts, just listening to them talk about random bullshit (although it's not really bullshit because it's truly the catalyst for the story), and I couldn't help but think about all the times I had to sit in on my mom with her sisters going on and on about things I don't care about. It just hit a little too close to home (literally and figuratively) that I couldn't enjoy those particular sections as much as I might have otherwise.
The plot in itself is fantastic. The parallels between Jess and the Black Water Sister were so great to read through. Going back to Jess' character journey, there's a clear shift in the narrative when Jess finally decides to take action. For much of the first half, Jess is being brought along this journey due to her Ah Ma's influence. This makes sense due to Jess' own internal conflicts throughout the beginning. However, as Jess' confidence grows and as her family becomes embroiled in more and more conflict, both supernatural and physical, she realizes that things won't be fixed unless she does something about it. We love to see it.
I love the supernatural elements that are the literal backbone of the story. The generational gap between those who are older, who grew up steeped in temples and gods and idols vs those who are younger, who grew up thinking that it's all just myths and legends, is so well developed. Honestly everyone is really well developed in this. Every single character feels like a real person - dead or alive. Despite being set in one city, the history and the culture is fully realized.
Needless to say, the writing is fantastic. Without getting into too many spoilers, there are some incredibly written scenes where the POV shifts subtly and seamlessly from one character to another. One moment you're in one character's head, then you're somehow in two, and the next thing you know, you're getting an entirely different character's thoughts and feelings. These scenes truly showcase Zen Cho's writing prowess. Very interested in reading more from her.
I highly recommend this book. A great mix of plot- and character-driven action and tension. A supernaturally charged story that centers itself on the things we'd do for our family, no matter how insane they can be at times.
A great ghostly tale that starts slow, but finishes strong. 4/5 stars.
Jess has just finished undergrad at Harvard, but is struggling to find a job when her family decides to move back to Malaysia for her father's work. She goes back with them, not knowing that her recently passed grandmother (Ah Ma) has stuck around and has chosen Jess to be her medium. Jess had never truly believed in the supernatural before, but her Ah Ma is making her believe and is also forcing Jess to handle her unfinished business.
I really enjoyed this book! The beginning was a little slow and it took some time for me to really become invested in the story, but once the ball got rolling I was hooked. I find Jess to be incredibly relatable. She was me back when I had just finished undergrad. Unclear where she wants to go with her life, but knowing that whatever decisions she makes will reflect not just on her, but on her mom and dad as well. Such is the life of a first generation Asian American. We see her consistently struggling with her identity in this book - both as someone who doesn't fit as American or Malaysian, and also as a closeted LGBTQ. This journey that she goes through helps her become more confident in herself and in those around her. Her transformation is believable because it doesn't happen all of a sudden. It's a slow process in which the Jess at the end is so incredibly different from the Jess at the beginning, but it's so seamless you don't even realize how drastic the change is until you look back at where it all began.
I found a lot of Jess' family members to be <i>too</i> relatable. There were so many moments I got annoyed with Jess' relatives. Although this is amazing on the author's part, I found myself getting pulled out of the story because I kept getting thrown into memories of my own. The Ah Ma in particular reminded me too much of one of my aunts and how frustrating it can be to communicate with someone so stubborn in their own beliefs. There's also a scene in the beginning where Jess is literally sitting with a bunch of her aunts, just listening to them talk about random bullshit (although it's not really bullshit because it's truly the catalyst for the story), and I couldn't help but think about all the times I had to sit in on my mom with her sisters going on and on about things I don't care about. It just hit a little too close to home (literally and figuratively) that I couldn't enjoy those particular sections as much as I might have otherwise.
The plot in itself is fantastic. The parallels between Jess and the Black Water Sister were so great to read through. Going back to Jess' character journey, there's a clear shift in the narrative when Jess finally decides to take action. For much of the first half, Jess is being brought along this journey due to her Ah Ma's influence. This makes sense due to Jess' own internal conflicts throughout the beginning. However, as Jess' confidence grows and as her family becomes embroiled in more and more conflict, both supernatural and physical, she realizes that things won't be fixed unless she does something about it. We love to see it.
I love the supernatural elements that are the literal backbone of the story. The generational gap between those who are older, who grew up steeped in temples and gods and idols vs those who are younger, who grew up thinking that it's all just myths and legends, is so well developed. Honestly everyone is really well developed in this. Every single character feels like a real person - dead or alive. Despite being set in one city, the history and the culture is fully realized.
Needless to say, the writing is fantastic. Without getting into too many spoilers, there are some incredibly written scenes where the POV shifts subtly and seamlessly from one character to another. One moment you're in one character's head, then you're somehow in two, and the next thing you know, you're getting an entirely different character's thoughts and feelings. These scenes truly showcase Zen Cho's writing prowess. Very interested in reading more from her.
I highly recommend this book. A great mix of plot- and character-driven action and tension. A supernaturally charged story that centers itself on the things we'd do for our family, no matter how insane they can be at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death