It’s been quite a long time since I’ve written a review, so I’m just happy to say that I’m back at it again!
I’d been in Australia for about a few weeks or so, and school has just been keeping me on my toes for a very, very long time.
My apologies if it’s been very late… hopefully I can make up for it by writing something now!
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I’m always a fan of reading books that don’t necessarily have white-American main characters (just for different cultural aspects), so I did some digging and asked my friends… then I saw this book at the library and decided to try it.
And oh my god, definitely one of my favorite decisions of all time.
The book follows a Taiwanese-American girl (Mei) who is trying to dig a new path to her future, as opposed to the one that her very strict parents set for her instead.
Honestly… such a nice book.
Throughout, one comes to realize that Mei is a very intricate, multifaceted character; balancing parental and filial pressure, MIT biology classes which clash with her germaphobia and utter lack of wanting to do anything relating to biology, and secretly liking Darren Takahashi, a Japanese-American boy who doesn’t fit her parents’ wish of dating a respectable, Ivy-League Taiwanese boy.
Mei’s character development from hiding her true feelings to outing her entire personality is one hell of a rollercoaster ride. Her character development never ceased to amaze me; I can definitely agree that having the guts to finally tell someone your true feelings is incredibly hard and requires a LOT of willpower and development. Working through some racism, prejudice, and understanding that being successful doesn’t always mean happy is something I will admire her for.
There are many things I can say about Mei, but one I will highlight is that she can now tell the difference between learning to follow her own path, and just listening to her mother and father prioritize their dreams of a perfect daughter over hers’. Having filial obligations, especially in more traditional households, are quite difficult to overcome and compromise to what suits one best, especially in this scenario.
The author does mention a few times that the book was a channel of sorts to reflect on her own upbringing, but through the writing, prose, dialogue, and familiarity of conceptual ideas, it becomes sort of an unnecessary sentiment. I could definitely tell that this book was a familiar to the author. And I can definitely see how some acquaintances of mine can relate to this book.
You don’t even know what Ying-Na is doing. Everything you hear is a rumor. For all you know, she could be a neurosurgeon married to a billionare tech god.” Or maybe she’s struggling but happy. I kept this thought to myself since my mom wouldn’t understand the value of that life.
Written above are a few lines that I’d like to mention from the book, specifically one I actually liked quite a bit.
The last part says: “maybe she’s struggling but happy…but i kept this thought to myself since my mom wouldn’t understand the value of that life.”
Maybe as people striving for greatness and success, we forget to prioritize our own emotional health over any monetary or social-status value. Even though being happy seems to come with however much money or status comes with the job, I find it better to value experiences and life more than being just a studious and decidedly successful person.
Being happy should always stay as something that matters, not just the result of a painstaking butterfly effect.
On the other hand, the relationships in this book are definitely notable.
1. Mei & Darren: since Darren was a “decidedly not Taiwanese-American” boy, Mei had many fears that would come with perhaps dating him… resulting in his friendship and eventually relations being more coveted by her. Even if there were many doubts running through Mei’s mind, mainly her mother’s internalized voice criticizing almost everything she was doing, she put herself and her happiness first, regardless of the consequences (point to Mei.)
2. Mei & Xing: though I can’t spoil what happens in the book, Xing is Mei’s brother who isn’t considered part of the Lu’s family anymore. The main part of their relationship that I loved was how Mei put her brother first before his “wrongdoings” that humiliated the paternal side of the family. AND YET MEI STILL LOVED HER BROTHER!!
3. Mei & Mama Lu: urgh… tiger parent vibes are so omnipresent in this book, which just made it a more interesting read.
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I would honestly recommend this book to anyone who’s looking for a light read with contemporary undertones, fun banter and lingo, and a naturally-balanced mix of diversity that didn’t go too over the top.
I hope you read this book and enjoy it as much as I did!
Best from Gianna