 |
| via Amazon.com |
Seemingly based on the author's real life experiences, this is a story of a young girl and her mother immigrating to the US from Hong Kong. They are indebted to the mother's sister and brother-in-law in helping them come over and giving them "opportunities" of living in a filthy, rat-filled apartment and working in their factory in Chinatown. The beginning isn't easy for Kimberly (Ah-Kim) and we see her navigate her way through school, learning English, meeting friends and helping her mom in the factory. Kimberly is a gifted student and feels the pressure to excel so their life can improve. Kwok's writing is excellent and makes it more authentic by writing what Kimberly hears from her teacher and friends in English. Those in the book club said that it helped them see how hard it is to learn a new language.
Soon it's apparent that Kimberly needs to keep both her worlds separate-- that of school and in the factory. This balancing act takes time and we see how she adapts to both her environments. Even though Kimberly needs to be the strong one, feeling the pressure to improve their life, filing taxes, translating everything for her mother, her relationship with her mother is still mutual. She needs her mother's emotional strength and there are some great bonding moments, as well. The family dynamic is interesting, and the differences in the cultures are apparent. The ending really made me think... a lot. Many women in the book club didn't care for the ending, but I tried to get into Kimberly's head, trying to figure out why she made the decisions that she did. This is a coming-of-age book-- romance, hardship, finding your place, misunderstandings, triumph, disappointment-- all of it.
I give Girl in Translation 4/5 stars.
No comments:
Post a Comment