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whatsallyreadnext's Reviews (719)
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I always find myself drawn to East and South-East Asian authors as a way to link to my own heritage, debut authors, and books that are either set in Asia, set across different generations/time periods or themed around race. Ghost Girl, Banana ticked all of those boxes so it was a must-buy book for me when it was released a couple of years ago!
Set across two timelines - 1960s England and 1990s Hong Kong - the book follows the narratives of a mother Sook-Yin and her mixed-race daughter Lily. After Lily receives the offer of an unexpected fortune left in the will of a powerful Chinese businessman from Hong Kong, it's the catalyst that propels her to travel to Hong Kong and ultimately, discover more about her mother who she barely knew after losing her when she was young. Family secrets unravel about her mother's past and the challenges Sook-Yin faced back in the 1960s when she was sent to London from Kowloon.
I really enjoyed reading this wonderful debut novel, which explored some interesting topics around race, family, identity, and belonging. There were parts that I could really resonate with, as I'm British-born Chinese, and therefore, I knew the meaning of the book's title even before it was explained during the novel. I thought the narratives between the two characters were very cleverly structured to not reveal too much early on.
I had the pleasure to meet Wiz Wharton last year and hear her speak about her book at The Candid Book Club Literary Festival, and I could really see what writing this book meant to her. I'm so glad that she managed to get her debut published, despite the challenges along the way, and to get this story out there. We need more of this kind of representation for books published in the UK!
Set across two timelines - 1960s England and 1990s Hong Kong - the book follows the narratives of a mother Sook-Yin and her mixed-race daughter Lily. After Lily receives the offer of an unexpected fortune left in the will of a powerful Chinese businessman from Hong Kong, it's the catalyst that propels her to travel to Hong Kong and ultimately, discover more about her mother who she barely knew after losing her when she was young. Family secrets unravel about her mother's past and the challenges Sook-Yin faced back in the 1960s when she was sent to London from Kowloon.
I really enjoyed reading this wonderful debut novel, which explored some interesting topics around race, family, identity, and belonging. There were parts that I could really resonate with, as I'm British-born Chinese, and therefore, I knew the meaning of the book's title even before it was explained during the novel. I thought the narratives between the two characters were very cleverly structured to not reveal too much early on.
I had the pleasure to meet Wiz Wharton last year and hear her speak about her book at The Candid Book Club Literary Festival, and I could really see what writing this book meant to her. I'm so glad that she managed to get her debut published, despite the challenges along the way, and to get this story out there. We need more of this kind of representation for books published in the UK!