Lays bare the claustrophobia of familial love, the ache of unfulfilled dreams and the costs of repressed emotion ... Wei handles Genevieve’s dueling pride in and envy of her sister with grace and nuance ... Through this emotionally heavy plot the novel thankfully maintains a sense of humor, and an engaging, matter-of-fact tone. If the pace slows down in the second act, the final quarter surges ahead as tensions erupt into a staggering act of betrayal ... Wei writes with a maturity that belies this novel’s status as a debut. Precise, layered and moving, The Original Daughter is a book not to miss.
Wei delivers an expertly paced and moving debut, a tragedy without over-the-top drama. Her precise descriptions—a character 'pickles in disgrace'—keeps the focus on the taut action. Best of all, she paints holistic people who may be petty and selfish and yet display grace and kindness.
Resonant ... With meticulous detail, Wei unfurls the aching provenance of the family's irreparable fracture ... Although Gen's relentless, self-admitted 'hubris' occasionally threatens to weigh down the narrative, Wei's glorious phrasing and revelatory observations provide buoying antidotes ... Wei reveals a tragic, haunting exercise in the limitations of not-quite unconditional love
Wei’s multilayered writing sweeps readers up to carry them alongside Gen through her emotional and financial struggles and lifelong conflict with Arin as they both vie for their mother’s love and attention. Some characters might have been more fleshed out, and the ending could be seen as a tad too neat, but Wei’s debut is a promising one ... This novel should appeal to readers who appreciate relationship-based stories within families; also a good candidate for book clubs.
The first half of the novel is much stronger than the second, in which the plot machinations can feel somewhat forced. Though Genevieve is someone for whom violence 'bloomed like desire,' her motives sometimes come across as thinly disguised plot devices more than organic outgrowths of a fully fleshed-out character ... A moving debut novel about sisterhood, ambition, and the quest to become one’s true self.
