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 captures the thrill of emigrating, of becoming one’s own person beyond daughter and sister ... Delicately explores the complex pain of being hurt by someone you at once love and envy ... A refreshing perspective in a world of stories that often prioritise romance. At the same time, this emphasis on the relationship between the sisters leaves little space to examine the many heavy themes that the story brought up ... Ambitious ... While there is perhaps one too many complex themes presented for the story to dive deep, Wei is not shy to explore the messier side of siblinghood.
Expertly paced and moving ... A tragedy without over-the-top drama. Her precise descriptions...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 ... Tragic, haunting.
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 ... Genevieve['s] 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.
