LoveReading Says
Alternating between the lives of a mother and daughter, thirty years apart, Wiz Wharton’s Ghost Girl, Banana is a marvellously engaging debut. Laying bare the challenges of living between cultures, and the entanglement of the past and present, it’s a beautifully-written page-turner that will have fans of family drama fiction in its thrall.
In 1966, the stirring opening scene sees Sook-Yin compelled to leave Kowloon for London. After her father tells her to “Prove you can do better, ah- Yin. Make your family proud of you, and perhaps we will see you again”, she becomes lost in the crowd and yearns for them to “reel her back to safety”, to tell her, “We didn’t mean it. We love you. Come home”. But no one “comes to her rescue”, and Sook-Yin strives to make a new life in London.
In 1997 we meet Lily, who lost her Mumma, Sook-Yin, at the age of five, and is now somewhat lost in life. Her successful older sister and deceased father barely mentioned Mumma — “an unspoken agreement that we never look back at the past”. Then, out of the blue, Lily is named as a beneficiary in the will of a Chinese banking magnate. She’ll receive half a million pounds on condition that she goes to Kowloon “with the express purpose of reconnecting with your roots”.
Tender, and written in a freshly readable style, the dual-narrative works like a dream as it shares the parallel stories of two women searching for a sense of belonging, and the cost of belonging. And then comes a stirring finale that sees newfound sisterly bonds form in the wake of the truth and a shared love for their mother, with a new personal era paralleled by the backdrop of the Hong Kong handover.
Joanne Owen
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Ghost Girl, Banana Synopsis
A GRAZIA BOOK CLUB PICK, Ghost Girl, Banana is a powerful debut novel about the family secrets unearthed by a surprise inheritance. Set between Hong Kong in the 1960s and London in the 1990s, and revealing the hidden life of a mother to her daughter, it asks questions of identity, race and belonging.
'An astounding debut ... written with emotion and astuteness, this deserves to be on book prize lists' PRIMA
1966: Sook-Yin is exiled from Kowloon to London with orders to restore honour to her family. As she strives to fit into a world that does not understand her, she realizes that survival will mean carving out a destiny of her own.
1997: Sook-Yin's daughter Lily can barely remember the mother she lost as a small child. But when she is unexpectedly named in the will of a powerful Chinese stranger, she embarks on a secret pilgrimage to Hong Kong to discover the lost side of her identity and claim the reward. But she soon learns that the secrecy around her heritage has deep roots, and good fortune comes at a price.
'A gripping and evocative tale of family secrets, courage, adversity and love. Sook-Yin and Lily's stories are beautifully told and truly unforgettable . . . such accomplished storytelling and gorgeous prose. Brilliant' Emma Stonex
'An absolute wrecking ball of a novel. Ghost Girl, Banana is an enchanting, suspenseful journey through family, distance, money and betrayal. I loved it so much' Erin Kelly
'A story of family, love, redemption and belonging, told with such heart and empathy. Essential and utterly unforgettable' Fìona Scarlett
'Ghost Girl, Banana is an epic yet deeply intimate novel. I could feel the vibration of these women existing in the wider world; their stories are so skilfully shot through with the hum of change' Kate Sawyer
'An intriguing, beautifully written study of the stories we inherit. I loved being in Lily and Sook-Yin's heads, my heart breaking for them . . . I loved it!' Nikki May
'Sparkling prose and a page-turning plot combined with wonderful storytelling . . . An absolutely dazzling debut' Julie Owen Moylan
'From the first pages, I was drawn into the worlds of Lily and Sook-Yin and the stories that bind them together across the years. Wiz is a master storyteller, weaving Lily and Sook-Yin's stories of belonging together with elegance and wit' Ronali Collings
'Fresh, funny, infuriating, heartbreaking - Ghost Girl, Banana is sure to be a massive hit. I adored it' Emily Koch
'Fascinating ... love and family are at the heart of this epic debut' MY WEEKLY'Fascinating... Love and family is at the heart of this epic debut'
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781399700375 |
| Publication date: |
23rd May 2024 |
| Author: |
Wiz Wharton |
| Publisher: |
Hodder an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
416 pages |
| Primary Genre |
General Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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