Linguistically potent and lots of lines to underline. Stressful in the way relationships between sisters can be.

4.5 stars! It is hard to believe this is Jemimah Wei is a debut novelist. This reads like something produced by a far more seasoned writer. This gripping and emotionally heart-wrenching novel features "sisters" Arin and Genevieve who are raised together in a far-from-lavish flat in Bedok, Singapore. Their family struggles, the complexities of the secret pasts and lives of their parents, and the achievement demands of Singapore create an emotionally-intense yet fraught relationship between the two daughters. I will not say more about the plot, to avoid spoilers. Suffice it to ay it is gripping, with much heart-wrenching drama. As an educator who has long taught classes on Southeast Asia and spent many months there on and off over the decades, the portrayal of the dictates and demands on the Singaporean educational system is spot on, as is the portrayal of everyday life in Singapore. As one who has also taught and written about migration, the novel also offers effective glimpses into the loneliness of migration and the ways in which visions of one's life abroad as a migrant do not always measure up to the realities. I plan to recommend this book to my colleagues who teach classes on Southeast Asia and the next time I teach such a class, I will have it on the list of possible novels for students to read and reflect on.

Everything about the first sentence written in the blurb enticed me. I knew instantly I wanted to read Jerimah Wei’s novel:
“In this dazzling debut, Stegner Fellow Jerimah Wei explores the formation and dissolution of family bonds in a story of ambition and sisterhood in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore”.

My associations to the above first sentence are many:
….I deeply admire anyone who receives a Stegner Fellowship (for creative writing) at Stanford University. Many notable authors have a ‘Stegner Fellows’.
Jesmyn Ward, Adam Johnson, Wendell Berry, Ken Kensey, Larry McMurtry, Raymond Carver, etc.

….I have millennial daughters.

….Our two daughters don’t share a close relationship. One of our daughters is a professional actress living in Los Angeles. The other a Tattoo Artist living in Canada.

….LAST…
….I was very excited to read a book set in Singapore. (the home of a special friend).

Soooo…
… after all my initial excitement to begin this book, it unequivocally surpassed
my expectation.
I couldn’t believe how emotionally wrenching … and indelible the characters felt to me ‘instantly’ from the start.

Before Part I begins in 1996, … we are given a very powerful prologue to read that begins in 2005.

We learn that Mother, Su Yang, has cancer:
Leptomeningeal disease.
She has maybe six weeks to live.
Genevieve, Su Yang’s daughter is the narrator. We know she is angry — actually bitter about ‘something’ and although we don’t know ‘what about’ yet ….
I was already aching about my own situation (reasons my own two daughters don’t speak to each other) …
I don’t have cancer, though .. Thank God….
but this story felt - feels - so real from the start … we must read to the end to get the bigger-fuller- understanding of what happened.
Why does Genevieve sound so cruel towards her younger sister, (one year younger; the sister who was adopted?)

Su Yang practically begs Genevieve to call her sister Arin. (an A-list movie star).
If you were dying, and only had a few weeks left to live, wouldn’t you want to see your adult children? Each and every one of them?

The following dialogue (from the start) stayed with me throughout this story:
Su Yang:
“If you want to help, Genevieve, call your sister”.
“She’s not my sister”.
“I want to see you and Arin
together one last time”.
“I kept quiet, she pushed further”.
“I never ask you for anything”.
“It was another one or her untruths; she was full of request, both vocal and implied”.
“Promise me”.
“No”.
“Then you might as well kill me yourself”.
“She left”.
WOW!!! …. right?
In a weird way - sadly, I related. But I had so many questions. What did Genevieve mean that Arin wasn’t her sister?

It’s clear the sisters a
were estranged.
The story we continue to read from Genevieve, who may or may not be a reliable character, shares old memories of love, loss… other family history.
Genevieve’s ‘character-disposition’ feels like jealousy…. resentful and barbaric at times.

A tragic betrayal we discover is agonizing-upsetting shocking!

This story takes us through many emotions— many different paths — and many new understandings. I realized how much pettiness and ego can literally destroy lives.
And if??? we let go of anger, resentments, what do we have left?

We spend time in
Chrischurch, New Zealand 2010.
Genevieve tells us that she lived her first few days in New Zealand in near violent joy.
“I truly felt as if I entered a kind of second childhood, but one conjured by my imagination. Hard to believe that Mother Nature, had sprinkled everywhere these Linden trees, harboring, countless songbirds and their delicate fluffy plumes; had, like a maestro, collected the sun’s diffuse violet glow each evening into creamy collisions of rose and apricot. … etc etc.
THE PROSE IS BEAUTIFUL!

We’re back in Singapore in the summer of 2015.
I was hanging on by a tread during this last part of the book…
my heart …
was it going to break?
Would I experience relief?
I won’t share more ….
Other than to say, this was a very affecting and beautifully written debut.

The writing is gorgeous—
This passionate tapestry of a fractured family has extraordinary depth, beauty, and rigor.

4.5 stars thank youuu netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review ,i could not believe this is a debut ?? wei paints an amazing picture of singapore and the life of girls whose realities are interwoven yet couldn’t be more different
writing was beautiful, the picture this painted in my dead was so vivid it felt like i could touch it
definitely one to look out for !

I think this book was pretty decent, but there was a few things I would change. I did love theme of sisterhood, family, and how they dealt with family dysfunction. I love learning about a different culture, and how it differs from my own. I do think there was a bit of information overload at points, which made it hard to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

Jemima Wei’s book, Original Daughter is the story of two sisters who aren’t really sisters, but grow up together in a dysfunctional household, amidst the cutthroat world of Singapore’s education system— they are close, until they aren’t, and the rest of the book is long, and I liked the story until I didn’t, mostly because the characters were all unlikable and the story just went on too long. The writing was good, the themes of family dysfunction, abandonment, resentment, ambition, and ultimately how you define family were presented well, but for me, the story got bogged down in the details.

This book is a DNF for me after reading 70%. I could have powered through to the end but I was really bored. I liked learning about Singapore culture and the family dynamics were interesting, but I found both sisters so dull that I could not go on.

Wow! The prose in the family drama is incredible. This I Jemimah Wei's first novel and I already am looking forward to reading her next. The novel focuses on a small family in Singapore that adds an unexpected, second daughter, when an estranged father dies. For much of the novel, the sisters are inseparable. Until they are no longer. Genevieve, the original daughter, narrates the novel, and we see her as unforgiving, competitive, insecure, and conniving, yet, we feel compelled to share compassion with her., The adopted sister becomes a famous actress, tries to reconnect with her sister, and ends up leaving the mother to make peace with Genevieve, a peace that never happens. Without giving spoilers, this drama does make a full circle of sorts, and the father, mother, and two sisters are together in the final pages of the novel, and we are left wondering, what more will become of these sisters? The prose is beautiful. The plot compelling. The novel is wonderful.

This was one of the most poignant, beautiful tragedies I’ve ever read. I will never forget it. I’m literally in tears as I write this.

The story starts in 2015, and is told through the eyes of our (unreliable) narrator Genevieve, who is coming to grips with the news of her mother’s terminal diagnosis. We learn about a family estranged through time and circumstance, but we are left in the dark unaware of how it came to be. The story then becomes a memoir flash-backed 19 years earlier to 1996, the very beginning… navigating the naivety of childhood to the clarity of adulthood looking back at old memories, love, loss, trauma and melancholy as we work our way back to the present and unweave the memories past that led them to this point.

Genevieve first met her sister, Arin, at age 8, Arin only being one year younger at the time. My heart pulled for these sisters, this family that had so much affection and care for each other, I was so confused at how things could turn out the way they did. There were so many times while reading, especially towards the beginning that had me wondering where things went so wrong. I was so hooked, as you keep going you start seeing where the edges start to unfurl, the jealousy, family ties/loyalty, competition and social pressure that compounds the snowball bit by bit.

The struggles that they went through that could’ve been avoided if they’d just talked to each other broke my heart. The pettiness and the jealousy… and the fact that I understand where they’re coming from, but the way it still genuinely hurt, driving actual tears like they were real people to me. Everyone is flawed, everyone is a villain… and yet no one is at the same time. This book was an onion, lots of layers and will make you cry once you cut into it.

I wish the ending was more definitive. Gen’s mother was a mirror of Gen’s grandmother, harrowing and extremely heartbreaking. I wish that was explored further. The ending felt very abrupt, like there is more story left to tell. That being said, I know that all stories don’t have to end happily, be wrapped up neatly and tied in a bow to be compelling, I just wish that we had a little more.

If you loved Pachinko or Homegoing or even The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, you might really love this one. I have to thank Jemimah Wei for writing this story so beautifully, for tearing my heart to shreds and stomping on it. And thank you to netgalley for letting me read this.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Genevieve and her family welcome a relative into their lives, and there are complicated aspects of their relationships. When Gen accepts Arin as a little sister, she does so in an overbearing manner and is accustomed to being her sister's teacher and protector. When Arin achieves success of her own, Gen reacts badly. Drama ensues.

I had so many emotions while reading through this book. It was such an emotional ride. The hardships of family, the breaking and healing of hearts, loss and gain. I couldn't put it down. I read straight through.
I believe this is a debut author. I can't believe it. I suspect this book will be much talked about in 2025

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this e galley. All opinions are my own.

From the publisher.
In this dazzling debut, Stegner Fellow Jemimah Wei explores the formation and dissolution of family bonds in a story of ambition and sisterhood in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore.

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. In the story of a family and its contention with the roiling changes of our rapidly modernizing, winner-take-all world, The Original Daughter is a major literary debut, rife with emotional clarity and searing social insight.

3.5 stars
This is the story of parents, their daughter and a child, a distant relative, who they take in and she becomes their daughter. Their life is not easy. They struggle to survive.
Over time, the two sisters become close, but as they get a bit older their relationship becomes strained and more difficult. Much later, their mother becomes ill with cancer. The family doesn’t communicate well and there is disappointment felt by all the family members at different times. None of them have very good life skills. Although the story was well written, I found the story sad. I hoped for better things for all of them.

I was initially drawn to the book out of a self-professed shallow curiosity to see what a book set in Singapore but decidedly not about the crazy rich could be like, so I did not really know what to expect from the book. That said, I was engrossed early in. Character-driven stories are not easy to pull off, yet this being Wei’s debut novel is nothing short of impressive. Her characters are layered, and even in their most hateful moments, i found myself empathizing with them. The tension that Wei wove into the book made for an absorbing and almost claustrophobic look into the characters’ struggles.

Wei is no doubt a talented writer. If there is ever an Asian fiction - or even general fiction, really - to be recommended in 2025, I think this could be a contender.

If you liked the book "The Woman" by Kristin Hannah then this is a great book to put on your reading list! The majority of the story takes place is Singapore with basic characters being Gen, Arin, and other family members. The story follows Gen and Arin through their life, facing many challenges. It was a great book!

The twist and turns in Genevieve & Arin’s relationship in The Original Daughter drew me in right away and I devoured the entire book. I also really enjoyed reading a book that took place in Singapore. While I have to admit that I found some of Genevieve’s choices frustrating, it was a reflection of how connected I was to the characters in the book. While there were some things I didn’t like about the plot, overall I recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for an advance copy.

Man, oh man was this book so freaking good! Sisterhood was at the core of this book and the messiness and drama keeps you gripped. This is my first book from Ms. Wei and I do plan to make her one of my many autobuy authors. Thank you so much for this story. I hope to convince my sisters to read this book.

Much of the literature I have read that is set in Singapore focuses on the ultra wealthy with dysfunctional families. The Original Daughter has plenty of family dysfunction, but no wealth. I loved the story until I didn’t. Gen strives for academic success and it comes to her fairly easily setting her up for acceptance at an elite junior university. Arin struggles with her education, but Su, Gen’s mother, tutors her with great care while also running a dubious, but lucrative, side business.

Gen and Arin are not biological sisters, but are related. Arin joins Gen’s family when she is a very young girl. The transition is difficult, but Su and Gen are very accepting of her. Gen’s dad is not a particularly likable guy, but he is influential in her life. His mother also lives with the family so there are 5 people in a 1 bedroom apartment. The girls become very close, but their plans and expectations for their furnitures change drastically. And then the betrayal. I read on a kindle. If I read a paper version I would have tossed it across the room. It was so unexpected.

The book is far too long. Every time I thought THIS is a good place to end, the author plowed on. No fewer than three times could she have closed out the story and left the reader satisfied. The actual ending is weak. The other issue is the aging of the characters. Su is about 16 when she had Gen. Gen is in her mid to late twenties as the book finally ends. No one knows when the end will come, but the chosen diagnosis seems wrong. The book has potential, but it needs a good edit.

"The Original Daughter" is an insightful novel about two sisters growing up in Singapore.
One is the "original" daughter and the other is adopted although an actual blood relative.
The siblings who are best friends at first, become estranged and the novel explores academics, family allegiance, and ambition.
It's well drawn characters make for a moving story.

I was struggling while reading another book that didn’t feel engaging enough, when I decided to start “the original daughter” to see if I could get myself off the reading slump. At that moment Wei’s writing felt like a glass of cold iced water on a really hot day, so pleasant and refreshing.
The prose pulled me quickly into the book, but the plot isn’t a breeze. There are many heart wrenching aspects in this story that made my eyes well up a couple of times. This is a book about love with zero romance in it. About an unorthodox family and above all, a story of betrayal. When I was finishing it I felt like the plot left me with a feeling of a dumpster fire floating on flooded streets.
Was such a privilege to read about this two sisters growing up in Singapore, such a unique societal structure that praises academic excellence and hard work. The competitiveness and ambition, and how young people feel pressured to always outperform.
I absolutely loved this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Sweeping and poignant, sisterhood has never felt more messy and brutal than between Genevieve and Arin.