Searching for Sylvie Lee

There’s a lot not to like in this book. None of the characters are really likable, the structure makes it hard to follow the story, the use of idioms from three languages – while an interesting technique – is frequently jarring, and anyone who doesn’t see The Big Reveal coming from the first few chapters hasn’t been paying attention.

Other than that….

“Searching for Sylvia Lee” is essentially a mystery story. What happened to Sylvia, who had traveled from her New York home to Holland, to see her dying grandmother for the last time? Her family in America is told she got on her homebound flight, after which she simply vanishes. Her younger sister, Amy, travels to Holland to find the answers. That Dutch authorities, when they show more are finally contacted, are unwilling to force the airlines to reveal whether or not Sylvia boarded, or to lean on her credit card companies for records of her purchases to help trace her movements, seems incomprehensible to the American reader. And the question of appealing to the American Embassy for help – Sylvia has joint American and Dutch citizenship – is never raised. It is, of course, the author’s choice to withhold certain bits of information in novels of this genre, but there is normally a token gesture explaining why the characters didn’t take the most direct route to solving the mystery.

The narration jumps not only from character to character, but through time. We get bits of information from Ma, from Sylvia, and from Amy, bouncing back and forth over decades. Through it, we learn that Ma is a doormat, Pa is resentful, Sylvia is a liar, Sylvia’s soon-to-be ex-husband is a cheater and a bully, Amy is a dingbat, cousin Helena is a bitch, and her husband Willem is spineless. The reader may be forgiven for wondering if it’s worthwhile to wade through the verbiage to get at the family secrets simmering under the mystery of Sylvia’s disappearance.

Once The Big Reveal is made, the why and how is quickly wrapped up, and it’s probably not going to be what the reader expected, though it makes sense within the structure of the story.

Kwok has taken a big chance here with the narrative style, and it just doesn’t quite come off. Ma and Pa emigrated from China to America; Helena and Willem from China to Holland. So the characters, among them, speak Chinese, Dutch, and English. Most speak two languages, only Sylvia speaks all three, and Amy is pretty much limited to English only. As each takes their narrative turn, the sentence structure and idioms used are representative of that character’s native tongue. It’s an interesting idea, and reinforces the lack of honest communication among the characters, but it can be jarring to read phrases like “it began to rain cow tails” or “the in-breaker was surprised”.

“Searching for Sylvia Lee” is not throw-it-across-the-room bad. But it really doesn’t have much going for it to raise it above the current crop of vanished-woman tales. show less

This novel begins with a Willa Cather quote reflecting the main theme of the story: “The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one’s own.”

Amy Lee, 26, travels from Queens, New York to the suburbs of Amsterdam in the Netherlands after her older sister Sylvie goes missing. Sylvie had lived in the Netherlands until she was nine with their Grandma and their cousins, the Tan family, because her young immigrant parents in New York could not afford to support her. Sylvie recently went back to the Netherlands when she heard her beloved Grandma was dying. Then Sylvie disappeared.

Amy has always idolized Sylvie:

“Often there’s a dichotomy between the beautiful sister and the smart one, but in our show more family, both of those qualities belong to my sister. And me, I am only a shadow, an afterthought, a faltering echo.”

Ironically, we learn in the chapters narrated alternately by Amy, Sylvie, and Ma, that Sylvie felt the same way about Amy. As much as the sisters love each other, each doesn’t really know who the other is, nor what is in her heart. Nor do they really see behind the facades of others in their family.

There were a number of barriers to transparency in their lives. As with many immigrant families, the younger generation spoke a different language. Amy’s native language was English and Sylvie’s was Dutch, while Ma continued to speak primarily in Chinese. Not only were their languages different; all three of them grew up in different cultures. The daughters also experienced tension between, on the one hand, the culture at school and work, and on the other, the culture their parents inculcated at home. This split seemed especially salient for them because both in the U.S. and in the Netherlands, Amy and Sylvie had been taunted and bullied for being Asian. All of this encouraged them to keep their heads low and remain apart from others: the effects were long-lasting. For Sylvie it meant developing a persona that was “acceptable” for someone of a minority race (although, as she found, it was never really acceptable not to be white). But after a while, even Sylvie didn’t know who she was anymore.

Sylvie also discovered she didn’t even know her own husband, Jim. When she came to see him as Amy did, she realized “In love and life, we never know when we are telling ourselves stories. We are the ultimate unreliable narrators.” Or as Billy Joel said in his lyrics for "The Stranger":

"Why were you so surprised
That you never saw the stranger
Did you ever let your lover
See the stranger in yourself…"

Some of the secrets everyone is harboring do eventually come to light however, and we finally learn what happened to Sylvie.

An epilogue eight months later ties up loose ends. As Amy muses:

“How my knowledge of Sylvie, and Ma, of myself has changed. We had all been hidden behind the curtain of language and culture: from each other, from ourselves. I have learned that though the curtains in the Netherlands are always open, there is much that can be concealed in broad daylight. . . . The truth is, it is impossible to hide from yourself. Another truth: it is possible to find yourself anywhere.”

Discussion: I tend to concur with the view promulgated by Benjamin Dreyer, Random House Copy Chief, in his recent book Dreyer’s English. He advocates judicious and sparing use of dialect. For example, non-English speakers think in their native language, not in broken English. In this book, the author has Ma thinking in broken English rather than in a grammatical version of her native Chinese.

Evaluation: I liked this very moving story, although I wasn’t as impressed with the writing as I had been with Kwok’s previous two books. I would still recommend it - the author offers wonderful insights in all of her work into the perils and promises of immigration, and the acculturation challenges for all involved. show less

"...we are all ultimately unreliable storytellers of our own lives, whether we wish it so or not, whether we share a common language or not." Jean Kwok's novel, "Searching for Sylvie Lee" takes the reader along a journey as a family, each with secrets of their own that impact their interactions. The looming question of why each responds is laced into the mystery of Sylvie's disappearance in The Netherlands, the country where she lived for the first 8 years of her life under the eyes of her grandmother and reared beside her cousin. Threaded along side the disappearance is: the many facets of immigration, remaining true to your culture while living in a new one, discrimination/bullying of the immigrant, cultural insensitivity, striving show more for perfection as a way to achieve acceptance. Kwok masterly is a reliable storyteller of the family and takes the reader into their lives without hammering upon these side threads -- they are introduced to shape the actions of the family and give the reader time to ponder their influence.

As Amy, Sylvie's sister, says to Filip, the musician who knew Sylvie and has come to Amy, "It is sad how trauma gets passed down from generation to generation. Helena, my own ma and pa: they taught us to keep our heads low, to hold our secrets as closed as an oyster. Keep ourselves apart from everyone else. At a certain point, you wind up dividing yourself internally into so many different people you do not even know who you are anymore." For Sylvie, she was no longer a granddaughter (grandma had passed), no longer a wife (her marriage had disintegrated), no longer an employee (she had been fired), no longer needed by her sister (Amy was now an adult). For Sylvie, the time had arrived to embrace a long ago prophecy and the time had come for the family to expose the secrets and begin to heal.

I received my copy of this novel through LibraryThing's Early Reader program. show less

"In love and life, we never know when we are telling ourselves stories. We are the ultimate unreliable narrators."- Sylvie Lee

Sylvie Lee spent the first nine years of her life in the Netherlands being raised by her grandmother in the home of her mother's rich cousin. The rest of her days she lived with her parents and a younger sister, who completely adores her. Sylvie goes on to get an education, a great career and marries a rich man in what seems to be the ultimate American dream. When her grandmother falls ill. Sylvie drops everything to go care for her until she dies. Immediately afterwards, Sylvie disappears without a trace from the very place she always longed to return to. Amy, her very sheltered little sister leaves the safety show more of Queens and embarks on a journey to a foreign place in search of Sylvie Lee. With every turn, the story begins to get more complicated.

Jean Kwok tells a beautiful story through three perspectives: Sylvie, Ma(mother) and Amy (younger sister). Kwok writes characters with so much depth and emotion that you can't help but be drawn to each one. Whether you hate some or love others, you can't contain the feelings evoked. Where Kwok excelled was in her use of such beautiful prose. Each sentence was perfectly crafted and painted a beautiful picture of each scene. Her juxtaposition of Chinese metaphors within the text was brilliant and perfectly placed. Each word help you visualize the characters, setting and time. They gave context to each pivotal scene.

The novel tackles heavy topics in a beautiful way. The main themes were identity, immigrant experience, racism, stereotypes, family drama, cultural experience, tradition, self esteem/ confidence, family secrets, love and mental health. It was rich, ripe with emotion and full of depth. It was a story that left me breathless and heartbroken during some parts, yet also had me cheering through some parts when particular characters found their voice. It is a story that will always stay with me because it teaches you about the human spirit and what it means for some to truly broken by life and circumstance. The title is perfectly fitting because by the end when it all come together, you figure out the deep meaning. Bravo to Jean Kwok for such a beautiful, emotive tale that will remain close to my heart for years to come. show less

"In love and life, we never know when we are telling ourselves stories. We are the ultimate unreliable narrators."- Sylvie Lee

Sylvie Lee spent the first nine years of her life in the Netherlands being raised by her grandmother in the home of her mother's rich cousin. The rest of her days she lived with her parents and a younger sister, who completely adores her. Sylvie goes on to get an education, a great career and marries a rich man in what seems to be the ultimate American dream. When her grandmother falls ill. Sylvie drops everything to go care for her until she dies. Immediately afterwards, Sylvie disappears without a trace from the very place she always longed to return to. Amy, her very sheltered little sister leaves the safety show more of Queens and embarks on a journey to a foreign place in search of Sylvie Lee. With every turn, the story begins to get more complicated.

Jean Kwok tells a beautiful story through three perspectives: Sylvie, Ma(mother) and Amy (younger sister). Kwok writes characters with so much depth and emotion that you can't help but be drawn to each one. Whether you hate some or love others, you can't contain the feelings evoked. Where Kwok excelled was in her use of such beautiful prose. Each sentence was perfectly crafted and painted a beautiful picture of each scene. Her juxtaposition of Chinese metaphors within the text was brilliant and perfectly placed. Each word help you visualize the characters, setting and time. They gave context to each pivotal scene.

The novel tackles heavy topics in a beautiful way. The main themes were identity, immigrant experience, racism, stereotypes, family drama, cultural experience, tradition, self esteem/ confidence, family secrets, love and mental health. It was rich, ripe with emotion and full of depth. It was a story that left me breathless and heartbroken during some parts, yet also had me cheering through some parts when particular characters found their voice. It is a story that will always stay with me because it teaches you about the human spirit and what it means for some to truly broken by life and circumstance. The title is perfectly fitting because by the end when it all come together, you figure out the deep meaning. Bravo to Jean Kwok for such a beautiful, emotive tale that will remain close to my heart for years to come. show less

The writing in this novel is beautiful and heartbreaking. There are two parallel narratives: in one, Amy discovers that her brilliant sister Sylvie has gone missing, and she decides to try to solve the mystery of where she is. The other follows Sylvie in the month leading up to her disappearance. The girls' Chinese-immigrant mother also narrates and provides some needed context for their family. The book deftly explores racism and one's sense of belonging (both in the world and in one's family. The secondary characters are well-drawn, though I'm not sure the solution to the mystery was fully earned. I've read and enjoyed Kwok's other novels, and this one is no exception.

Searching for Sylvie Lee is an engaging read. Sylvie, is the child of a hard working, but poor Chinese immigrant couple living in New York. She is sent to live with her grandmother and aunt and uncle in the Netherlands and spends most of her early childhood there. Eventually she returns to New York to again live with her family, which includes a younger sister. At the time the action takes place, Sylvie has travelled to Amsterdam to be with her dying grandmother and has disappeared. Against this backdrop the plot unfolds. This is the story of unrequited love, of family secrets, of heartbreak.

I found this book to be very interesting on many levels, touching on a number of poignant themes. The story is told from the perspective of Sylvie, show more her sister and her mother and is told with compassion and humanity. Jean Kwok writes a moving book. I definitely recommend this read. show less