The Life of a Banana by PP Wong

One sentence plot summary:

In this book, Xing Li undergoes drastic changes after the untimely death of her mother on her twelfth birthday.

Spoilers Throughout:

I wanted to like this book.

I thought, okay. The story of a young Chinese girl who struggles to balance being British with her Chinese culture. That is a story that has endless potential.

In a lot of ways, the Life of a Banana did reach that potential. It illustrated the challenges that come from desperation to fit in, highlighted the lack of understanding between British children and immigrant parents, and really looked at what familial problems can do to a person. In addition to race and ethnicity, the book tackled issues of abuse and mental illness in a relatively honest way.

Still, I just didn't enjoy it. I didn't like Xing Li's voice and often felt that in the effort to make her sound like an adolescent, they missed all the surprising insightfulness that twelve year olds can demonstrate. I felt like the oversimplification of her character didn't do justice to the pretty gripping story that was right below the surface. A protagonist with a little more depth could have really brought those issues to the surface in a more compelling way.

As it stands, the book wasn't that interesting. Most scenes are short and lack full development. Nothing much happens and a lot is talked about. By far the most memorable scenes in the book are when Xing Li, her brother, Uncle Ho, Aunt Mei, and her grandmother share family dinners because those are the scenes that really highlight that tension between the grandmother's expectations and the kids' desires.

My biggest beef with this book is that I want more. I want to know what happened to Uncle Ho (my gut was that when grandma said he was dead, she meant it as a figurative death, but since we never see him again after he is institutionalized for suicidal thoughts, we can't be sure). I want more than three pages of the deep friendship between George Tan and Rose, a storyline that wasn't really introduced until about 95% into the book. I want more of everything. If all the plot lines were developed just a little bit more, I would recommend this book. As it is, I don't. I can't recommend something that has left me feeling so, so unsatisfied.

Thanks so much to Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

3/5