Genevieve (Gen), her parents, and grandmother are all residing in a cramped flat in a Singaporean town when a shocking revelation comes to light in the form of a new sister, Arin. Despite being forced to live under one roof, the two girls gradually grow closer together in their pursuit of success until a painful betrayal drives them apart.

I thought this was a fairly well written story that delves into the pasts of Gen and Arin with a narrower focus on the present. I particularly liked that it primarily takes place in Singapore (and New Zealand to an extent), where class differences, academic pressure, and an evolving digital/media landscape can be seen shaping the sisters’ lives.

That being said, this is a highly character-driven book told from Gen’s POV, who is depicted as a flawed, selfish, and resentful individual. Arin isn’t wholly perfect either, but I struggled to emotionally connect to either them or to any other character for that matter. While the writing was poignant at times, I wish the author had opted for more showing than telling and included Arin’s perspective as well.

While not my favorite, I can see why this would be an appealing selection for book clubs. Read this debut if you enjoy narratives on the complexities of sisterhood, dysfunctional families, and ambition featuring unlikeable characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Books for the eARC!

A gripping, intense story of a Singaporean working class family. In her debut novel, author Jemimah Wei depicts the life of Genevieve Yang Si Qi over the course of two decades, from her academic successes at primary school and introduction to her half-cousin, adopted sister, and best friend Arin Yang Yan Mei to her unexpected professional and personal struggles in her 20s. Wei covers a lot of issues and emotional territory—toxic family dynamics, abandonment, co-dependency, sexual assault, self-harm, and illness—while vividly describing characters and settings. Sometimes characters are unlikable and plot developments become unrelentingly grim, but overall 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 is a well-written and engrossing family drama and a window to another kind of life across the globe. Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The titular original daughter in Stegner Fellow Jemimah Wei’s remarkable debut novel is Genevieve Yang whose life is upended when a second daughter is unceremoniously dumped on the Yang family. Arin arrived in Singapore in 1996, when Gen was eight, “dropped into our lives fully formed, at age seven.” Gen’s grandmother learned that her husband, who had been politically “disappeared” and presumed dead when Gen’s father was a child, had actually been alive and well in Malaysia raising another family. He had just died, and his secret family could no longer afford his gaggle of grandchildren, so Gen’s family was taking in Arin, the youngest girl. Although the family was struggling — Gen’s father drove a cab and her mother, Su, worked in a library (although she later shows off her business acumen — and lacked space in their tiny public housing apartment, the Yangs tried their best to welcome the little girl.

A bereft Arin, who could not believe that her family had relinquished her with “such savage ease,” initially rejected Gen’s overtures of friendship. Yet, the girls eventually created an emotional connection so strong that they drew up and signed a “contract of sisterhood.” Gen excelled in school, routinely defending her position as top girl, and choosing the most difficult subjects to be even more impressive when she received straight As. While Gen “delighted in inflaming jealousy and embittering hearts,” Arin quietly won a prestigious reward for an essay that Gen claimed “air[ed] out our dirty laundry.”

Gen aced the O levels and had her pick of junior colleges, selecting the most rigorous. She then failed her A levels and her confidence flagged. Arin learned from Gen’s mistakes, selecting a different junior college, and acing the A levels. She was also a standout at acting, while Gen was toiling in an ice cream shop. Sibling rivalry was heightened because Gen was being surpassed by an “outsider.” Gen strikes out on her own, moving to Christchurch. Arin’s visit in the midst of shooting a film becomes the turning point in their relationship.

The reader knows from the opening of the book that the relationship between Gen and Arin fractured as the first paragraph states, “My sister and I hadn’t spoken for years, not since she first got famous, not even when my mother was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer a couple of years ago.” We also know that Arin was famous enough to be on the cover of Life magazine and to have her picture plastered on the side of a bus.

Wei masterfully creates family lore and microscopically explores the aspirations and hopes of these increasingly co-dependent, and then estranged, sisters. She sets her tale in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore, and meticulously crafts the social milieu in which her characters lived — the insistence on achievement, the shame of infidelity, the neighborhood that ran “smoothly on the currency of gossip,” the void deck aunties who are deeply hurt by Su’s admission that she was born to something better. An accomplished debut novel that is emotionally engaging and thoroughly absorbing. Thank you Doubleday and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this spectacular novel.

This review will be posted on BookwormishMe.com

Singapore may appear as a wealthy country, but for the working class there, not so much. Genevieve lives in a one bedroom flat that her grandmother purchased a very long time ago. Genevieve lives there with her parents and paternal grandmother. She shares the bedroom with her parents, while her grandmother lives behind a screen in the living room. It’s a tiny space for a lot of people.

Many years ago Genevieve’s grandfather disappeared. The assumption was that he was dead. Until he really dies, and the family finds out that he had a second family in Malaysia. Now this second family is providing Genevieve with a sister. Arin is one year younger than Genevieve and has no understanding of how her family could just give her up. With Genevieve’s persistence, they become inseparable.

Eventually the girls grow up. Their lives diverge. When one takes advantage of the other, a rift ensues and causes them to become estranged. Estranged to the point that the family might not survive this. Mistakes are made, and sometimes we can’t fix the problems we cause.

Great novel. Slow at times. Told from Genevieve’s point of view, sometimes it’s hard to like her. The characters are very in-depth and well structured. A beautifully written novel, I struggled through parts of it, but overall really enjoyed it. Especially learning about a culture so different from here in the US.


Reviews will also be posted to:
LibraryThing: BookwormishMe
The StoryGraph: BookwormishMe
Goodreads: BookwormishMe

Reviews will be posted after publication to:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon

I liked this book for several reasons. First, it showed a Singapore that I didn't know existed. Wei showed a side of Singapore that is rarely seen, but is the backbone of this young, successful country. They are good, hard-working people who want more for themselves and celebrate when one of them gets it. They are community. And then there's Gen and Arin. Gen loves playing big sister and helping Arin navigate her new surroundings. She delights in Arin's success until that success surpasses hers. Without that success, Gen has lost her self-identity and she struggles to reclaim it. But everything she tries seems to fail, often due to her own self-inflicted wounds. For me, that's success in a character, someone one you really dislike, but want to help. She's is so frustrating, so easily derailed by a less than perfect outcome. I empathized with her, but also just wanted to shake her and say, "Get Over It!"
In the end the book is about family love, betrayal and loyalty. Great debut!

“The Original Daughter,” by Jemimah Wei, Doubleday, 368 pages, May 6, 2025.

Genevieve Yang, 9, is an only child. Genevieve, her parents and her grandmother live in a single-room flat in working-class Singapore. Her father is a taxi driver. Their hopes for the future are pinned on Genevieve's academic promise.

Then it is revealed that her grandfather, long believed dead, had a secret family and has since died. They are living in poverty, so his daughter, Arin, comes to live with them.

Told primarily in a flashback, Genevieve becomes completely unhinged with jealously and resentment since as "the original daughter" she believes she is entitled to everything. Her psychological issues result in self-destructive behavior. Arin grows up to be a famous actress. Genevieve thinks her most important thing is her independence from Arin.

Genevieve moves to New Zealand and refuses to speak to family members for months. When she visits friends after an earthquake damages their property, she tries to bring pity on herself because she is so self-centered. Then she returns to Singapore.

When her mother is dying of cancer, she wants Genevieve to call Arin because she wants to see her again. Genevieve refuses. She spent most of her adult life trying to divorce herself from Arin and isn’t about to reconcile now.

I was put off by Genevieve’s extreme self-centeredness and total lack of empathy. Genevieve sees everything through the lens of “poor Genevieve.” She is a really unsympathetic character.

I rate it three out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei is a captivating story that delves into the complex dynamics of family relationships. This epic saga explores themes of redefining family bonds, abandonment, estrangement, resentment, guilt, and the dysfunctional yet unbreakable bond between sisters. From the very first page, I was drawn into the intricate web of emotions and experiences that the characters navigate throughout the years.

This is a book about sisters, about Singaporean culture, about growing up together and growing apart, and so much more. I ached with the pains the characters felt, and I hoped along with them through trials. Jemimah Wei has written a phenomenal novel about two sisters (by choice, truly, not by birth) who mean everything to each other. They cling together despite mistakes each one makes until one that threatens to tear them apart forever, and perhaps the only thing that could ever bring them back together is realizing they've lost an irreplaceable amount of time together. I look forward to reading Wei's next book.

Thank you to Doubleday Books and Jemimah Wei for sharing an ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I love a book based on sisters. There is so much growth in books like this and I feel like I can resonate with stories like this. Gen is the older sister and when Arin comes into the picture everything changes for her, but being the chill mannered person that she is she takes it in stride and takes being a new and older sister serious. But the way Arin came into their lives was for the soap operas because the drama was pipping hot, and then years later? with Gen's own dad??? DRAMA. As they get older and Gen is trying to do something with her life, Arin tends to get the attention and even advances in life and Gen is just going through the motions, even now as her mom is asking for Arin to come home, and of course Gen has to do it. Having siblings comes with challenges especially being the oldest, i seriously adored Gen.

The setting:
Singapore, 1996-2015. Narrative shifts in time--starts at end, then backpedals to fill in story. WOW!

Genevieve [Gen], is an only child, living with her parents and grandmother in a single-room flat in working-class Bedok. Until Arin arrives--an unexpected sibling carrying the shameful legacy of a grandfather long believed dead. The "sisters" become close--until...

The shoji screen in the apartment is almost a character in the book!

Family/bonds, hardships, dysfunction, betrayal. ambition, search for self, haves vs. have nots/discrimination, academics. Grief. Mothers and daughters, and sisters. Father--and his role/story. And an almost unknown grandmother. Gossip "aunties". A slice of life in Singapore. All informative/revealing and enjoyable.

Descriptions:
"Complaining was one of the last pure pleasures life held for my grandmother and she indulged in it every chance she got."
"...I moved like a scythe through the day's chores"
"...drift silently around the house like a deflated ghost"
"mechanincally enacting the gessures of living, though with a little less light"
"...canvas of her face succumbed to its selected history"
And so many more than caught my fancy!

And then New Zealand--when the novel shifts there for a time.

Great character development. And often heartbreaking. I love a book in a setting where one can learn about the culture and norms.

Debut novel; looking forward to more by Jemimah Wei!

4.5, but not rounding up though HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

This was such a beautiful, emotional tale about a family in Singapore with a particular focus on the bond between sisters Genevieve and Arin. At the beginning of the book, Genevieve tends to her mother who has only a few weeks to live. The singular request she has for her daughter is for her to call Arin after years of no contact. From there, we jump into the past and learn how these two girls first became joined at the hip and what led to their fallout.

We witness handfuls of grudges and mistakes from every character that bring about major consequences. Sometimes they make up, and sometimes it's much harder. I enjoyed the fact that both sisters and their parents were flawed. It felt believable and made their journey more intriguing.

I have a great relationship with my family, but after finishing this incredible debut, I immediately wanted to call each one of them and remind them how much I love them. I even got a little teary near the end and appreciated the progression of these two sisters.

Genevieve Yang was an only child in Singapore until Arin, a girl a year younger than her, arrived to become part of their family. As the two navigate their relationship and places within the family, they become friends. Years later, Arin is a successful actress partly due to her betrayal of Genevieve. Can they ever reconcile? This was a hard book to love because it was trying to do too much, which ultimately made it feel disjointed. I liked the parts, but disliked the whole.

Genevieve Yang was an only child, living with her parents and grandmother in a small one room flat in Bedok, Singapore. Even though they struggled financially, they were happy. Then news arrived that the grandfather they all believed had died years ago, actually had run away and started another family. Now he was dead, and his other son could not afford to keep all of his children, so he was sending his youngest child, a daughter, to live with them. After the shock wore off, Genevieve was excited about the idea of getting a slightly younger sister. At first, Arin refused to engage with the family, and was intent on going back home. However, when she realized that her biological family truly did not want her, and wanted nothig else to do with her, she & Genevieve became true sisters. They did everything together, and Genevieve mentored Arin to become an excellent student and to excel once she got in college. But the more Arin's star continued to rise, the more Genevieve's began to fade. She felt left behind. Then, when Arin betrayed her in the worst way imaginable, Genevieve cut her out of her life for good.

This book was amazing. I loved this debut novel, and can't wait to read many more by this very talented author. At times Genevieve was likeable (usually when she and Arin were getting along like best friends), but when jealousy and hurt reared up, not so much. I could see both points of view, and I could empathize with Genevieve. It had to feel like she was being replaced, and at times used, by Arin. The final scenes with their mother left me in tears. This book would be great for book clubs, I feel like. I highly recommend this one!

The Original Daughter, a captivating tale of two sisters, held me in its spell throughout the day. The story was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down. Although I’ve never had a sister, I understand the complexities that can arise in family relationships.

Set mostly in Singapore with a short detour to New Zealand, this book is about family and the complex twists and turns of relationships between its members. As a young child, Genevieve Kang is surprised when she is learns she is getting a sibling from another country - someone called Arin. As an only child, she is initially confused but soon assumes responsibility for being the older sister, a decision that forever changes the trajectory of her life. For a debut author, the book was impressive, engaging, and held my attention. I enjoyed the settings, which highlighted life in the two locations, particularly Singapore. I felt the first two-thirds was nicely paced, the last third dragged a bit and I was hoping for a quicker wrap up, until it did - a bit abruptly - I thought. Can’t account for fickle readers like me! Overall, I enjoyed the book and I’m looking forward to the authors next publication. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Jemimiah Wei's debut novel is full of richly developed characters and familial drama. We meet the Yang family in Singapore, three generations in one, cramped apartment. Gen is used to being an only child among the adults. When the family learns that Gen's grandfather, long believed to be dead, has only recently died and left behind another family. Gen's half-sister Arin comes to live with the Yang family and it turns her world on its head.

Beautifully written and tender, The Original Daughter is sure to appeal to fans of complex family dynamics. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Can their fractured relationship recover from all that broke it?

In a small and cramped flat in a working class part of Singapore lives the Yang family...grandmother, son Wei Ming, daughter-in-law Su, and granddaughter Genevieve. Life is far from perfect...the flat they live in is owned by the grandmother so she rules the family and is generally not pleasant about it. Genevieve works hard and excels at school, an important achievement in a culture driven by achievements in academics and beyond. Their existence is forever altered when they discover that the grandfather, long presumed to have died during a period of political upheaval had in fact survived and created a new life (and a new family) in Malaysia. He has only recently died, and his adult son can no longer support his wife and large family. They are sending one of the daughters to live with and be a part of the Yang family in Singapore, a decision agreed to by the grandmother, much to the dismay of the rest of the family who wonder how their cramped quarters and marginal existence can support another person. Arin arrives, shocked that her family has so casually disposed of her and not truly believing that it will be permanent. Genevieve is determined to be a good big sister to her, and over time the two become very close....true sisters of the heart. They form an alliance against the world, determined to succeed and create a better opportunity for themselves. Genevieve at times is her own worst enemy and makes questionable decisions, and Arin makes the choice to put her own ambition ahead of the love of family in a manner which Genevieve sees as a betrayal. Genevieve experiences failure after failure and ends up living with their mother in the cramped flat she had tried so hard to escape, all while Arin claims worldwide success and fame. The two have not communicated in years, and Arin has stayed away from their home...but now Su is dying and wants nothing more than for the two girls to put the anger and jealousies of the past aside and reconnect. Can they put aside their pride and their anger, or have they let the bad feelings fester for too long? Is it ever too late to reconnect?
WIth beautiful prose and a well-crafted portrayal of emotions which resonate throughout the narrative, author Jemimah Wei has created a story of sisterhood, family, ambition, and a particular culture. Genevieve, who serves as the narrator for the story, is complex and definitely flawed...she is insecure which leads to jealousy and failures for which she herself is mostly to blame. She isn't exactly likable, but I did feel a measure of empathy for her as she wrestles with a life that hasn't lived up to early promise and a mother who (like the grandmother before her) can be critical and hard to be around. The reader gets to see Arin through her sister's eyes and given that Genevieve was likely an unreliable narrator I had the sense that there was more to the story than Genevieve was disclosing. There are moments of humor woven into a tale with otherwise heavy emotions, and the Yangs are a decidedly dysfunctional family. I wish that some of the secondary characters had more developed backstories, and the ending was not all that I hoped it would be. It is still overall a beautifully rendered story of family, love and loss, a novel that will appeal to readers of Celeste Ng, Rachel Khong and Elena Ferrante. My thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me access to The Original Daughter in exchange for my honest review.

There is nothing I love more than an unreliable narrator, they make for the best stroytellers and force the reader to parce throught everything they say to see what is true and what is not. The idea of the power of communnication is so strong in this book, we see so many situations where the problem could easily be solved by women talkinng to each other. The symbolism of the differnnt objects, and materialistic things adds so much to the book and moves this debut nnovel into the next level.

I read many family dramas and this one stood out! Wei wrote these characters and their relationships beautifully. Told over the course 20 years The Original Daughter follows Arin and Gen as they navigate their relationship after being thrown together as young girls.

This one had a slow start for me, but as we started unraveling the tightly woven aspects of the story and its characters/key players, I was fully invested. I'd been interested in Wei's work for years, as I first learned of her work during her MFA, and I really enjoyed the novel--which is fitting, as it feels like I've been waiting for it for a while now!