The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei brings to life the story of two girls, Genevieve and Arin, and what constitutes a family in the face of betrayal. Themes of familial love, female relationships, friends vs. lovers, us vs. them, and winning at all costs are as present today as they were ages ago, allowing the reader to be connected and captivated with the characters and storyline in this fabulous literary debut novel. With excellent prose and an appreciated storytelling pace, Wei has masterfully invoked a wide range of emotions from one chapter to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.

This is a story about two girls in Singapore who were brought up as sisters. As children they are very close; as adults, not so much. Brought up to be strivers of excellence, it affects their relationship, until there is a rift. Beautifully written, with just the right amount of description, a fabulous amount of character development, and a ton of emotion, this book is a winner. And I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Original Daughter.

The premise was more intriguing than what I read.

First, the author writes well, there's no question but I'm not sure what the narrative is about.

Yes, it's about family and sisterhood and Gen's relationship with Arin, her sort of, not really sister, but is it?

The narrative read more like it was about Gen and her place in the family, her inability to understand herself.

Who is she? The adored only child of her parents until she wasn't?

An overachieving student who can only memorize facts and equations, but isn't as smart as she assumed she was?

Who is she in relation to Arin?

I don't think the author knows either.

Sometimes, the narrative read like a family drama, other times it was about sisterhood.

It was distracting and confusing, I don't know what the takeaway is supposed to be.

Gen wasn't a likable person, yet I didn't dislike her. She was dispassionate, disgruntled, unhappy; aren't we all in some way?

But is that her true nature or a result of how her and her family didn't turn out?

How is it Arin's fault?

Arin is an innocent in this domestic drama, the spawn of a scandal but not to blame for Gen's family's troubles and drama.

In the end, I cared neither for Gen or Arin and still couldn't figure out the point of the narrative. I really did want to like this.

I guess if it doesn't involve a murderer or a serial killer it's not for me.

I found this story to be a beautiful and compelling story of sisterhood and what happens when two relatives grow apart and end up in very different places in life. Both sisters were very compelling characters, and I especially appreciated the intricacies of their relationship and how it was easy to see why both of them acted the way they acted rather than making one of them good and one of them bad — it felt like much more of a grey area. At points it read like a memoir, which I really liked.

This is a tough review for me. I really wanted to like this book and found the premise unique and pleasant, but the main character was so not likeable it affected my final enjoyment. Willow is the center of the story line, which spans from her elementary age to adulthood, and she frequently asks herself very introspective questions about her family relationships, but she never seems to consider the answers, or her own part in those relationships. In the end, this results in frustration for the reader, with little gratification. The quality of the writing saved this one from the did-not-finish pile for me.

As Genevieve’s mother is dying, she asks Genevieve to reach out to Arin, Genevieve’s long-estranged sister. Arin, a half-sister once adopted by Genevieve’s parents, rose to become first a YouTube sensation and then one of Singapore’s most celebrated actors. Genevieve, a star student eventually hobbled by class disadvantages, failed to gain admittance to a good college and struggled to make it professionally, working in an ice cream shop while trying to hide her disappointment. However, when she finally finds a way to break free and go abroad, a betrayal from Arin shocks her to the core, and she cuts her sister off. Now, years later, she must come to terms with her hurt and her love–and discover whether she can forge a new future with Arin.

This novel is compelling, emotionally vivid, and alive with detail. The world of working class Singapore–and this family within it–came vibrantly alive, and I was carried by the story, finishing the novel in just a couple days. Very much worth a read!

I went into this under the impression that it would be a cozy tale of two sisters, but discovered a journey with significant depth and emotion. After reading, I felt like I just emerged from binging an entire series in my dark cave–still spellbound and melancholy. This is one of those heavily touching books I’ll be thinking about randomly a few years down the line.

The Original Daughter is an epic story of Genevieve and her family living in working-class Singapore. One day, family shenanigans bring Arin to their doorstep. Ultimately, Arin ends up joining the family as Gen’s new little sister. Over the years, we observe the evolution of this family and everyone’s relationships through Gen’s eyes.

The novel reinforces what it means to experience family/sisterhood, betrayal, grief, abandonment, pride/hubris/ambition/loyalty, culture, and trauma. How can a story be so severe in its themes while simultaneously interweaving them through such fluid prose? I was fascinated how Wei was able to shift voices with respect to the scene and the characters’ thoughts, like with Gen’s desperation and defeat. This is absolutely one reason why each character struck me as so relatable and authentic.

I’m incredibly grateful Jemimah Wei decided to share this gem of a debut with the world. Thank you Netgalley + Doubleday for the ARC!

There was a single question I kept asking myself throughout this: Does the author know her main character, Genevieve (Gen) sucks? Look, I get it, the human condition is complex. Being self-involved and rude is a side effect of youth. We don’t have to love our main characters. And sure, I can relate to holding a grudge (or several) - but oof Gen was hard to take.

Overall, you have a beautiful, emotional story. The pacing along with the author’s choice to begin at the end were smart choices and I flew through it quickly - but did I enjoy it? I’m not sure. The family dynamic from the jump is emotionally grueling. At the core it entails the eventual estrangement of two sisters, the eventual estrangement of their parents, and then eventually a dying mother. From there, we go back in time for the explanation.

Although I found the story engaging, I can’t review this without scratching my head about the choices made for Gen. Sure, without said choices there would be no story. In particular, I found her behavior towards her classmates, and later her friends and employers upsetting. They just took it on the chin and we moved on. It was as if the surrounding characters weren’t given a voice so our main character would appear more sympathetic. It did not work. To repeatedly showcase disgusting behavior from your main character without any promise of them learning from it was a gamble. So did I love it? I can’t say that I did, but I do think I found a new author to look out for. There’s a lot of promise here.

But seriously, does she hate Millennials?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will acknowledge that it appears I am in the minority and perhaps this is one of those books that if I were to pick it up at a different time perhaps I would enjoy it more but this book just drags on and on and on to the point where I kept wondering if it was going to end.

Don't get me wrong there are definitely some places that were touching and heartfelt but boy it took a long time to get there. I thought I was going to like Gen the original daughter. But nope then she kind of just turns into this whining unhappy mean person. I just didn't connect with her at all. The father . . . I thought he would fight for his family . . . but he kind of just disappears into oblivion.

The paragraphs on my kindle were so long that sometimes it was three pages of one paragraph - this didn't help me in my reading as sometimes I just simply got lost.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jemimah Wei and DoubleDay Books for the e-ARC in exchange for my opinions.

This is a story about a search for a nurse who has gone missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail. A woman in the Maine Warden Service is leading the search that has become mysteriously difficult. While she knows she is list, Valerie spends time writing beautiful letters to her mother and commenting on the beauty of her surroundings. The mystery of her disappearance is solved by an online conversation that a woman residing in a nearby retirement community has been having with a young man who was involved in Valerie’s disappearance.

In "The Original Daughter", debut author Jemimah Wei weaves a deeply emotional story of familial love and betrayal set in Singapore at the cusp of the 21st century. Told from the first-person perspective of young Genevieve Yang, we're immediately pulled into her world as the sole child and daughter of a taxi driver father and a housewife aspiring for more in Bedok, Singapore. Her world is turned upside-down with the unexpected arrival of Arin, the youngest grandchild of her grandfather who disappeared in the midst of war; long believed dead, he had secretly grown a separate family in Malaysia.

As children, Genevieve and Arin grow closer as Jie (older sister) and Mei (younger sister); as Genevieve pursues her academics aggressively, Arin is at her side, watching and learning. But life takes a turn for Genevieve and the once-clear path she had for her future falls by the wayside as she struggles and begins to flail; yet, she watches in both envy and pride as her younger sister manages to accomplish what she couldn't. As Arin finds footholds of success, Genevieve struggles with her own life, eventually escaping to a small town in New Zealand in a half-baked attempt to start over. A stunning act of betrayal forces the two sisters apart, and Arin leaves to grow her career while Genevieve returns home to Singapore, whose ailing health forces Genevieve to make a crucial choice.

This novel was devastating, stunning, and so beautifully written. From the first few pages, I was immediately transfixed by Genevieve as a character; her personality is sharp, multi-faceted, and flawed - but also one we deeply empathize with. Her early successes are ones we cheer, and we can't help but share in her pain as she begins to struggle in school, fails to land a career, and combats her conflicting emotions as her younger sister achieves the things she could not. To call her a protagonist may be too generous, but while we can't condone all of her decisions, we can understand them. I was so incredibly impressed with Wei's writing, especially as this is her first published novel; her prose is complex, descriptive, yet also incredibly emotional - a style that is so hard to achieve by an author. I was just as easily transported to the dilapidated, one bedroom apartment in Bedok that Genevieve's family members lived in as I was to the small town of Christchurch, New Zealand that she escaped to as an adult.

Very much a recommended read when "The Original Daughter" is published in May 2025!

Original Daughter is one of those books that sneaks up on you—quiet, observant, and then suddenly, devastating. It follows Gwen, a Singaporean woman living in New York, trying to build a life that’s entirely her own, while the weight of her family’s expectations, sacrifices, and history clings to her like humidity in August. (If you know, you know.)

Wei’s writing is lush and immersive, making every scene feel so vivid—whether it’s the streets of Singapore or the cold, detached air of New York. But what really got me was the way she explores identity and belonging, especially in that space between cultures. Gwen is constantly navigating who she is in different places, in different relationships, and even in her own family. It’s frustrating, heartbreaking, and so, so real.

This book doesn’t rush. It takes its time unraveling Gwen’s world, her decisions (good and bad), and the complicated, sometimes painful love between mothers and daughters. If you like character-driven stories that make you feel something, you’ll probably love this. If you need a fast-paced plot… well, this isn’t that.

I had to take breaks while reading this, yet I still finished this book within two days. Loss of potential and resentment of failed ambition, core elements of The Original Daughter, just happen to be the themes that devastate me the most. By starting in the aftermath before the reader can understand, then going back in time to see it play out, Wei masterfully bookends Genevieve and Arin’s coming of age with the present day.

Tension is built up in a way that gave me actual chills, as the prose made me stubbornly hope that Genevieve would choose any other path than the hardest and worst possible decision she can make. Simple details, beautifully realized, would sting my eyes with tears. To me, Ma is the central character of this story. Her quiet suffering mattered to me much more than even the bond between Genevieve and Arin.

The Original Daughter is a book that will stay with me for a while.

Genevieve unexpectedly gains a younger sister Arin from her grandfather's second family. Gradually, the two
establish a strong sisterly bond, with Genevieve the leader. Genevieve has always done well academically
until she enters the universiy. There the life she planned falls apart, while Arin is on a more successful path.
When Genevieve feels that Arin betrayed her in an essay she wrote, the bond is severed. The estrangement
will have a huge impact on family dynamics.
#TheOriginalDaughter #Doubleday #NetGalley

This book sucked me in and really pulled on my heartstrings, as the reader you feel like you're part of the family. Such a strong debut, I'll read anything from this author.

Overall Rating 4/5

Novel Concept: 5
Novel Execution: 4

Title: 5/5
Characterization: 4/5
Dialogue: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Theme: 4/5
Prose: 4/5

Does this pass the Bechdel Test: Overwhelmingly Yes

Title
The Original Daughter refers to Genevieve Yang, who's life is changed when Arin is brought into her family's life, the second "daughter." I love that this title draws into Genevieve's flaw, which is envy. She sees herself as the original daughter, and in a way, sees Arin sometimes as this interloper who is unbelonged to Genevieve's family. This is also wrapped up in her justifications at the end of the novel. Why should she have to deal with Arin, when she herself is the original daughter? The only daughter who matters.

I think it's really great when the title gives us an insight into the personality of the protagonist.

Characterization
I must admit there is a level of predictability in the plot line. Of course the gifted child burns out while the Type B child reaches a level of success that Child A is shut out of due to that burnout. I was sort of expecting Genevieve to eventually fail since we focused so much onto her successes in school.

Genevieve is unlikeable in the best way. At first I was conflicted about her character--she seemed like an uncouth hypocrite with a polarizing personality that never seemed to be consistent. Then it hit me, perhaps halfway through the novel, that Genevieve's major law was her envy, and then suddenly Genevieve was like, a fantastically written character once that clicked. As a person who struggles with envy, it can feel very polarizing to want to support but also at the same time do not want others to succeed as much as you because it might mean you're inadequate. It's complicated and difficult to manage but entirely possible.

Genevieve doesn't handle envy well. This entire novel is her struggle to control her envy of others success. And when Envy is not managed well, it can evolve into the paranoia we see Genevieve display. That everything her mother does is a mind game of playing favorites between her two daughters, even when we the reader know it's not that deep. Her struggle through this causes most of the plot progression, as Genevieve is propelled into many directions in an attempt to carve a life out for herself that she is satisfied with.

Arin and Genevieve's family dynamic was at times, a struggle to buy into. I really bristled at this idea that Arin was testing to see if Genevieve would make sacrifices for Arin the way that Arin did for Genevieve when it came to Arin stealing Genevieve's assault narrative for the film she was making. This is just virtue signaling. Arin's whole, "I would do anything for you and I just wanted you to do something for me," makes it seem like Genevieve is supposed to be characterized as a bad person, but just because you suffer for someone and are willing to put your whole life on the line for them does not mean they have to do it in return. Selflessness with an expectation of reception is selfishness, because when you do not receive what you have put out, you then punish the person and they're supposed to feel bad that they have boundaries you don't have?

It's a complicated thing and I wish that we would have explored more into Arin's virtue signaling and entitlement. I don't think Arin with this characterization is bad--I think it's great--I just wished we really acknowledged this. Genevieve is a much more forgiving person than I could ever be, because if my siblings tried to profit off of my trauma behind my back, I'd never speak to them again. Ever.

Genevieve's and Arin's mother is an interesting woman. I love that we don't really know what's true about her, since we're stuck in the lense of Genevieve's unreliable narration (which I love and unreliable narrator). I don't think the mother was perfect by any means--sending that email was a terrible thing to do--but I don't necessarily think she's a bad person. I think that she has always wanted what was best for her daughters, even if it's misguided. I think Genevieve's reactions to her are perfectly reasonable even if her mother felt she was acting out of love, it still did damage. We are free to choose, not free of consequence.

Genevieve debates if her mother is punishing Genevieve by making her call Arin, and I don't really think that's correct. The book leaves this somewhat ambiguous but I feel it leans towards that her mother understood the rift between sisters, and her bringing Arin back into the fold too early wasn't something she was willing to do. It had to come from Genevieve. It's also the mother not taking responsibility for her children's estranged relationship. She's refusing to let her deathbed save Genevieve or Arin from having to make contact and deal with their shit. They have to do it themselves. Genevieve's mother has always been characterized as a woman trying (not always succeeding) to step out of the way so that Genevieve and Arin can have control of their own lives, and this last act of refusing to call Arin felt apart of that desire. Mom won't be able to patch up their holes anymore--they have to do this themselves.

Also fuck the dad. Good character. Well, bad guy but well written. Hope he rots for walking out on his kids over some rumors. Cry me a river and then drown in it.

Dialogue
The Dialogue sounded natural and flowed well. I never felt like I was locked in an exposition dump.

Plot
So this is where I had to admit that I did consider DNF-ing the book. I bring this up in the plot section because there is a significant portion of this book dedicated to the slow rise and very long and drawn out fall of Genevieve's academic career. And I really felt like this part took far too long. I am a voracious reader but I have to admit I was never really desiring to pick this book up to figure out what happened next. Things started picking back up when Genevieve gets to Christchurch, but getting to that point was a bit of a struggle.

I think it's also because the academic burnout arc was the most predictable narrative of the story and I was sort of waiting for her to claw her way out so we could go back to doing something interesting. For a while it was this back and forth of Genevieve failing and Arin becoming an internet sensation but it felt like I was hearing the same story back to back.

Atmosphere
I felt the world was believable and I could feel the emotions at play. Genevieve's academia life is strict and competitive, because these grades dictate a student's future. It was easy to see the world of Badok, Singapore come to life with the Ixora flowers, the shops, aunties, and more. Genevieve's struggle with her own emotions is felt on every page.

Theme
So Genevieve fucked up immensely, but so did Arin. That's the alternate title of this book. I think Genevieve being able to recognize how difficult it is to manage her own envy. A quote from the end of the book is, "How long will I be doomed to stand in my own way?" And I think it's referencing her envy and the way it causes self-destructive patterns in her life. But she's more self-aware of it now, and she feels hope that despite it being bad between her and Arin, they still have so much life left to live, and there might be a road of amends sometime down that line. Genevieve hopes, but we don't know if she ever gets that repair with her sister. It's probably the best ending that we can get out of a story like this.

Look, sometimes you make mistakes and even if people can stand to forgive you, they don't always have to let you back into your life. You can reach absolution, but depart from each other's company. People must protect their peace. Now, the mistake I think Genevieve made was not calling Arin when their mother's illness became terminal, not the stuff about Arin stealing Genevieve's assault story. Genevieve is painted somewhat as the bad guy in that because it's connected to her not calling Arin about their mother, but I stand by the fact that Genevieve was in the right. That's the hill I'm dying on. What an absolute fucked up thing for Arin to do.

But using that as an excuse to deprive Arin of a goodbye from her own mother? Equally a fucked up thing.

Controversially, I really thought the book was going to end at chapter 83 with the line, "I stayed in that driveway for a long time. And then, slowly, painfully, I turned and made my way home." I really thought that's where we were ending it. While I understand the reasoning of going for one more chapter, I do kind of wish we just ended it here, with Genevieve really having to contemplate the consequences of her actions alone. Definitely not as feel good as the actual ending, but the impact would have echoed.

Prose
The prose is easy to read and I never felt like I got lost in the narrative. I feel there's some pacing issues when it comes to the academic burnout section of the novel, because that part seemed to go on forever and I never felt like we were saying anything new in this academic burnout narrative.

But something interesting I liked about this novel is the way that there are implied conversations between Arin and Genevieve, perhaps implying that they do end up making amends. Genevieve will say something like, "Later Arin would admit that I just stared at her." Or something to that effect. We get these moments of other people's view on the event, but still through the lens of Genevieve.


Conclusion
This was a good novel and I was glad to be apart of the ARC Team. I am glad that I pushed through the section I thought I would DNF because the story really started falling into place after when I really started to consider Genevieve's major flaw being envy. And I wouldn't have gotten there if I had stopped reading that early in.

Here’s my review as a Singaporean:

The Singapore that everyone knows today is actually vastly different from how it was in the 90s. Then, it was a tiny country whose economy was just starting to boom. There was a trickle-down effect. People saw the potential and opportunities to break out of the lower/middle class. That opportunity was often associated with what comes after graduating from the top schools. Spots are limited, so staying ahead of the curve becomes a priority. Even I remember being taught 3rd grade math in kindergarten!

Being raised in the Singapore education system of the 90s + 00s, it wasn’t uncommon for people to adopt a zero-sum mindset (I believe Gen did too)— and what should only be ONE part of your life ends up wholly consuming you for more than a decade. Intense focus on grades and an emphasis on “being the best” often made environments like schools that were suppose to be nurturing feel incredibly competitive, with no room for error. That kinda stress and obsession completely warps any young person’s world, and can also leave certain emotional/social skills underdeveloped.

The tunnel vision on following a very narrow definition of success also meant not being able to see opportunities that are just outside that small field of vision. Some may end up thinking of everything as competition- even amongst family, even amongst sisters, even in life outside of academics. This context might provide more insight and explanation to Gen’s behaviour and resentment.

Tbh, it’s so hard to believe that this is a debut novel! Some of the scenes of this dysfunctional, co-dependent family were so raw, so real, that it feels like you’re sitting in the middle of their living room, watching their most intimate, intense family dispute unfold. It feels so intrusive, so uncomfortable, so confrontational!

It also really transported me right back to growing up in Singapore as a 90s kid! The sights, the sounds, the culture… I was so happy to bask in the nostalgia of the little things (yakult aunties, HDB estate photocopy shops, ZAM BUK, Milo and butter cookie tins for storage, the dreaded ten-year series, etc). I personally feel like Jemimah Wei did a really good job with authentically reflecting attitudes and struggles of the time!

An absolutely beautifully written book, the characters are so believable. One is in the mist of a family who places achievement at a high price. Conflicts arrise and Genevieve and Arin must choose between their academic ambition versus meeting the outside world.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @DoubledayBooks allowing me to have an advance review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This Original Daughter explores the themes of family bonds, abandonment, estrangement, resentment, guilt, and dysfunctional relationships.

The story is set in modern-day Singapore, with Genevieve Yang, (aka the original daughter) finds out her mother has terminal cancer with only a few weeks to live. Genevieve not only has to deal with her mother's impending death but also relives all of her relationships with her family, past and present. She is estranged from her famous sister, her father left the family, her mother is dying, and she is struggling with her own life and future.

Throughout the book the characters work through many emotions and life experiences. For me, I felt Genevieve was a self-indulgent, selfish brat and had a hard time empathizing with her. However, the author does a great job painting a very realistic picture of family dysfunction as it does in fact take on many shapes and sizes. I had originally put my rating at 2 stars immediately after I finished the book; however, in retrospect I changed that to a 3-star rating as books and those characters within don't always have to be likeable to earn a good rating. #TheOriginalDaughter #NetGalley #familyrelationships #fiction

This is the story of an "original" daughter who feels like she is second-best to her mother, but it's more than that. It's a coming-of-age story in the midst of a complicated family dynamic and amid familial pressures. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and that I didn't know where the storyline was going. In that way, it felt like a memoir more than fiction.
The first third of the book was slow for me, and it took longer than I wanted for the story to move along, but I was in by about halfway through the book. I would buy copies for my store when it comes out.