Mei Ng

This book provides an intimate look at a family, at how our childhood affects our ability to develop and sustain relationships as adults. Returning home after college, Ruby is troubled by her parents' relationship: her father is always criticizing her passive mother. Her brother is estranged from the family; her sister lives right upstairs but isn't emotionally close to the rest of the family. Ruby's own life contains similar emotional distances: her lack of close friends and her inability show more to commit to a romantic relationship. There are deep themes here and very complex characters; it is the kind of book I want to think about for quite a while. show less

Interesting story. Asian-American experience without being an "Asian-American experience", if that makes any sense. Basically a story about a woman trying to survive that phase in one's life, between college-years and the-rest-of-your-life. Particularly as an Asian-American, the process is loaded with family issues, and in Ruby's case, love.

Pace of the novel was slow -- slow like molasses, slow. I'm still deciding whether this added to or detracted from the story.

Another book I had had for ages. A Chinese-American girl moves back in with her parents, finding it hard to understand her quiet and seemingly passive mother and overbearing father.
Franklin and Bell have a laundrette in Queens, where they raised their 3 children. They live their life in a routine, rather claustraphobicly between the laundrette and their home.
The relationship between her parents has affected Ruby, she has an on-off boyfriend, Nick, who she seems unable to commit to fully. show more Despite her siblings living nearby, they are estranged. Van lives with his wife and kids, who left when he could no longer put up with his father's physical and mental putdowns. Lily only lives upstairs, but the sisters are still not close.
There is a clash of cultures here, Bell was born and raised in China, she has different hopes and ideas to her US born children. There is a huge difference between what is said and what is thought, causing misunderstandings, resentment and heartache. A good read, warts and all. show less

A character study.

This is very much a character driven book, very little actually happens, but we do get a feeling for life as a second generation Chinese girl in New York.

Ruby is 21 when she graduates from university and goes home to live with her parents. Although she didn't have much money in her bank account, I didn't get the feeling that her return was entirely a financial decision. She cared a great deal for her mother, Bell, whose uncaring husband treated her poorly. Although Ruby show more loved her father, I don't think she liked him very much and she was certainly aware of how mean he was to Bell.

Ruby wanted to take Bell away for a holiday in Florida, where her friends lived, and she worked as a temp to raise the funds, but the trip was continually postponed. Why? Bell just couldn't make the break from her husband, her life, even for a couple of weeks.

There was also a white boyfriend from Ruby's time at Columbia. While he loved Ruby, she wasn't sure how she felt about him and didn't see any problem with going off for other sexual encounters at the same time. There was quite a bit of sex in the book, thrown in in a very casual manner; nothing overtly blatant, but certainly not disguised.

I think what has stayed with me most from this book were the courtesies extended while eating - one would always choose the best bits and slip them into the other person's bowl and they would do the same for you. It was a way of showing you cared. That really appealed to me.

Published in 1998, this is the author's only book. I notice from her biography that Mei Ng was also a graduate of Columbia University and was raised in Queens, of Chinese parents; I wonder to what extent this book is autobiographical.

Not a riveting read but interesting and thought provoking. show less