Book Summary and Reviews of The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei

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Labmom55

Would work well for a book club
The Original Daughter is a debut novel concerning the creation and dissolution of a family in Singapore. Up until she was eight, Genevieve was an only child. But then, seven year old Arin arrives, a half-cousin to Gen, given up by her family in Malaysia. Slowly, Genevieve and Arin become tightly bound. But then, as young women, that bond breaks and they become estranged.

The story is beautifully written. While told solely from Genevieve’s PoV, both characters felt fully formed. Gen wasn’t an easy character to like. If she’d been real, I would have wanted to shake some sense into her. Yet, I felt her pain - the losses she suffered, the jealousy and finally the hurt from the betrayal. Even when I disliked what she did, I could understand why she did it.

The story speaks of familial duty, resentment, abandonment, lost dreams, independence and ambition. It was a book that really made me think. At the end, I felt bereft from the pain of someone holding on to bad choices for too long. It would make an excellent book club selection.

Wei also did a strong job of taking the reader to both Singapore and Christchurch.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this book.

Margaret R. (St Marys, GA)

About China
Books about China keep grabbing my attention. None more so than "The Original Daughter". First I have read by this author and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. The characters changed personalities from one being shy, withdrawn into an outgoing, in charge person. The other, from the person who did everything right into someone who had no path to travel.

Very different family story. Even in China we see the parents opting out of their responsibilities. The narrative paints a picture of life in China from the ordinary persons point of view.

Lynn D. (Kingston, NY)

Family Ties
This story draws the reader in right from the start. Close family relationships are strained by the arrival of an accidental sister, as well as by societal expectations and close living conditions in Singapore. But it is the competition and sibling rivalry of the sisters that drive this coming of age story.

As one sister's career soars, and one sister struggles, can they hold on to their childhood loyalty and sibling love? These characters, and their parents are complicated and flawed, but also sympathetic. The descriptions of Singapore life in the 21st century are interesting and sometimes humorous. This is a beautifully written book. Highly recommended for book clubs as there are lots of discussion points.

Barbara E. (Rockville, MD)

The Original Daughter
The Original Daughter is a poignant exploration of family, sacrifice, and the personal cost of a society built on relentless competition. With searing emotional depth and sharp social insight, it captures both the heartbreak and resilience of those who dare to want more.

Before Arin, Genevieve Yang was an only child. Growing up in a cramped, single-room flat in working-class Bedok in Singapore, she understood from an early age that success was her only escape. Then Arin arrives—an unexpected sister, the unspoken legacy of a grandfather long presumed dead. As the two grow closer, they become each other's anchor in a world that demands perfection, forgoing friendships, leisure, and any semblance of a social life in their unyielding pursuit of a better future.

But when a devastating betrayal shatters their bond, Genevieve is forced to confront the true cost of ambition. Torn between family and self, home and the unknown, loyalty and reinvention, she must decide what—if anything—is worth sacrificing.

A powerful meditation on love, ambition, and the weight of expectation, The Original Daughter is a major literary debut—brimming with emotional depth, piercing social insight, and the unmistakable talent of a remarkable new voice. Highly recommended.

Marcia K. (Willoughby, OH)

The Original Daughter
Jemimah Wei weaves a heart wrenching story of two girls growing up as sisters in Singapore in the 1990's and then follows them into a diverse socially complicated journey into adulthood. Gen, is the eldest who is the narrator of the story. She is a very bright girl who lives to make her parents proud of her academic achievements to her own detriment.

Arin arrives in the family as a child of a man who is the illegitimate son of her grandfather who had left the family and her grandmother many years before. Gen accepts Arin as her sister and the vow to always be together. The story ebbs and flows as Gen and Arin grow together and apart. Many family dramas are seen thru the lens of Singapore culture and behaviors of the time.

We follow the ups and downs, successes and failures of these two women and their family members. Consequences for actions and behaviors are throughout the well developed storyline. Character development is excellent and you can feel what's it like to be in Singapore.

Kathy W. (Clarion, PA)

Love Can Save or Break US
I received Jemimah Wei's "The Original Daughter" as an Advanced Reading Copy through BookBrowse. The story centers around a Chinese-Singaporean family, but in many ways, it could have been written about any family where there is love, jealousy, and loyalty.

I took my time reading this because I wanted to understand the culture and the family dynamics. Wei describes everything so vividly that I was quickly immersed. The same love that binds the characters is the same love that breaks them. Love can be a powerful weapon and a soothing salve at the same time.

While reading Wei's rich prose, I wondered how I would have reacted if one day a younger girl had been introduced into my household and I was told that from now on, this was my new sister. Would I have made her my chosen"one"? Would I have made her feel welcome?

This story takes place in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore. BUT, people everywhere and at any time need to feel they belong.

This is Wei's first novel. I hope it's not her last.

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