"The Original Daughter" offers an engrossing and disturbing view of growing up in modern Singapore. Debut author Jemimah Wei delivers a cast of frustratingly stubborn characters, each with huge potential and a hunger for love and connection — and each with a devastating inability to overcome their pride at some key moment. We experience the story through the eyes of Genevieve, a precocious student whose world changes forever when her family takes in a cousin she didn't know she had. The two girls grow up together in the hothouse environment of Singapore's education system, which demands perfection at each step from those without the means to buy their way to a top university. When Arin's striving places her squarely in the spotlight just as Gen's academic dreams begin to crumble, the two struggle to find a way forward.

The Original Daughter is an engaging debut novel by Jemimah Wei. In this story, readers are immersed in one working-class family's lives and interpersonal relationships in Singapore.

This emotionally charged story centers on Genevieve Yang and how she perceives her family. Young Gen lives with her grandmother and parents in a one-room apartment. Their lives are forever altered when they learn their supposedly dead grandfather has been alive with a secret family.

With his now-real passing, his granddaughter comes to live with the Yangs. Arin, the new sister, becomes dependent on Gen. They grow close while working hard to get ahead in school and create a better future.

This novel is a poignant exploration of how relationships change and evolve over time, for better or worse, as we, too, grow and change.

The Yangs have been deeply affected by the abandonment of those who were supposed to care for them; however, they continue to inflict these hurts on each other. The conflicts often center around a sense of pride and serve as a powerful reminder of the challenges we all face in trying to meet each other’s expectations, much less live up to our own. It underscores how thin the line between hurt and love is, evoking a sense of compassion in the reader.

I highly recommend this compelling read. It will make you reflect on life, regrets, and the possibility of second chances, leaving you with a lot to ponder. Thank you to Net Galley and Doubleday for the ARC.