Before Arin, Genevieve Yang was an only child. Living with her parents and grandmother in a single-room flat in working-class Bedok, Genevieve is saddled with an unexpected sibling when Arin appears, the shameful legacy of a grandfather long believed to be dead. As the two girls grow closer, they must navigate the intensity of life in a place where the urgent insistence on achievement demands constant sacrifice. Knowing that failure is not an option, the sisters learn to depend entirely on one another as they spurn outside friendships, leisure, and any semblance of a social life in pursuit of academic perfection and passage to a better future. When a stinging betrayal violently estranges Genevieve and Arin, Genevieve must weigh the value of ambition versus familial love, home versus the outside world, and allegiance to herself versus allegiance to the people who made her who she is.
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.
