"The Original Daughter" draws you in from the very beginning. The characters are well developed and explained. The plot has plenty of foreboding to keep you wanting to read more. I enjoyed the book and recommend reading it.

The Original Daughter is a debut novel concerning the creation and dissolution of a family in Singapore. Up until she was eight, Genevieve was an only child. But then, seven year old Arin arrives, a half-cousin to Gen, given up by her family in Malaysia. Slowly, Genevieve and Arin become tightly bound. But then, as young women, that bond breaks and they become estranged.
The story is beautifully written. While told solely from Genevieve’s PoV, both characters felt fully formed. Gen wasn’t an easy character to like. If she’d been real, I would have wanted to shake some sense into her. Yet, I felt her pain - the losses she suffered, the jealousy and finally the hurt from the betrayal. Even when I disliked what she did, I could understand why she did it.
The story speaks of familial duty, resentment, abandonment, lost dreams, independence and ambition. It was a book that really made me think. At the end, I felt bereft from the pain of someone holding on to bad choices for too long. It would make an excellent book club selection.
Wei also did a strong job of taking the reader to both Singapore and Christchurch.
My thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an advance copy of this book.

The Original Daughter

Two cousins are raised as sisters in a tiny, two-bedroom, SIngaporean apartment. How they discover their individual paths in life, and find their way back to each other makes an enthralling story. This book gives the reader a fascinating look into Singaporean culture as well as a deep insight into the human heart,

My Brilliant Friend fans will find much to love in this striking debut that explores the price of ambition between two women who have loved each other like sisters.

The opening prologue shows that Arin, one of the novel's central figures, has broken into Hollywood. We also understand that the bond between her and her family member, Genevieve, was severed eleven years ago. What we don't know is how, and uncovering that mystery is one of the novel's most compelling threads as we journey through these pages.

Genevieve has always been an only child, raised in a cramped flat with her parents and grandmother in working-class Singapore. But everything changes when Arin appears, the daughter of Genevieve's grandfather's secret family. Taken in by their grandmother, Arin is suddenly, irrevocably, part of Genevieve's world.

The two girls forge an unbreakable bond, solidified by a blood oath under the moonlight to never abandon each other. As they navigate a relentless environment that demands academic perfection, their paths divide—one burdened by the weight of familial expectation who takes a secretarial role out of the country, the other effortlessly capturing attention, first through a YouTube channel and later finding fame on the indie film circuit.

Their sisterhood is shattered when a shocking betrayal fractures their relationships, sending them spiraling on separate journeys. This separation may be equally surprising and frustrating for the reader, as neither party is entirely in the right. Still, as the tensions mount and more details unfold, you hope for a reunion, especially as they navigate a new urgent layer to their reconciliation.

As Genevieve finds herself in New Zealand chasing a new job opportunity, she encounters an American who marvels at Singapore's technological advancements—its pristine streets, its robotic efficiency—offering a stark contrast to her cluttered childhood, where her mother made ends meet by running an underground photocopying business for study guides. These sharp juxtapositions make the novel a rich discussion piece for book clubs.

As Arin embraces the pull of the spotlight, the consequences ripple through her relationship with Genevieve and throughout her career, forcing them to redefine who they are—both together and apart. One passage cleverly shares, "Anyone who's ever had the slightest brush with fame understands that it's like a contagion. Once you've let your image out, you can't sweep it back into a jar, the only way forward is through."

Wei skillfully balances a strong narrative with deeply developed characters, ensuring that even readers hesitant about literary fiction will find themselves absorbed. The novel spans from the 1990s to the early 2000s, allowing readers of a certain age to reminisce and escape from today's headline news.

A gripping family drama and a layered commentary on ambition and identity, The Original Daughter showcases Jemimah Wei's powerful storytelling chops. A Columbia MFA graduate, she has a background in media and broadcasting, and her expertise is smartly woven into this novel. Once you start this one, you'll have difficulty putting it down.

This Is well written and original, but also boring and depressing.

Genevieve Yang was an only child when Arin, who is a year younger, suddenly gets dropped off as the half-sister Gen didn’t know she had. They struggle to come to terms with the secret of Gen’s grandfather and how to be sisters. Parts of that story I really liked, but the parts about Gen’s academic achievements and then failures was really hard to read. She allows her resentment of something I think she should have gotten over to essentially let her life spin out. There is some hope at the end, but we never read about it.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES MAY 6, 2024.

would recommend this one. the story is very interesting and the characters are well written, and i found that the idea was awesome. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Jemimah Wei's "The Original Daughter" is a beautifully crafted novel that explores the complexities of family, identity, and the journey of self-discovery. Wei masterfully portrays the relationships between sisters,and parents highlighting how love can be both a source of strength and a a place for animosity and competition.

The heart of the story lies in family relationships, and what it means to be a family. Wei paints a vivid picture of the dynamic between Gen and Arin, two sisters who are seemingly inseparable, but who have deep unspoken rivalries. It shows how even the strongest of bonds can be strained by envy and the constant need for validation.

"The Original Daughter" is a wonderful debut. The prose is beautiful, and the characters are expertly drawn. Reading this is an emotional journey for sure, but one you will not regret.

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei is a compelling debut exploring family, betrayal, and identity, with strong prose and an engaging reverse-chronology structure.

The Original Daughter was 4.5 ⭐️ for me. It was a coming of age sort of book that was heartbreaking, yet moving story. I was encouraged with the writing style to take a front row seat into these two sister’s lives and experience their journey into adulthood. It was messy and real. It was also hard, painful and raw with an honesty that would not let me go. This author did a great job and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Thanks Doubleday books via NetGalley.

Family is complicated, I enjoyed watching these two ladies grow and experience life. Highly recommend for those who want to see family change over time.

I devoured this yet wish I could've paced myself to savor the truly exquisite prose. This captivating novel explores so many things at once, yet manages to do it well. Breaking the generational curse, balancing stubborn ambition with guilt and resentment, the importance of family and forgiveness, all the complexities that come along with being a sister... all told through rich, multifaceted characters. I adored this. What a triumphant debut!

Sisters through circumstance, Genevieve and Arin are seemingly on similar paths and yet they end up in vastly different places. They love each other fiercely, but also hold resentment with the same ferocity. Status, whether it be academic or socioeconomic, came up a lot and the ambition to rise in status drove much of the plot. Their mother exemplified the loss of such status and her futile attempts to improve on it could have served as a cautionary tale, but instead it drove them to pursue more and more achievement. The exhaustion that comes with treading the status waters was palpable in Wei's prose. So was the cost of maintaining a pridefulness.

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei is a compelling debut, exploring family, betrayal, and identity through the intertwined stories of Genevieve (Gen) and Arin. With themes of familial love, female relationships, and ambition, the novel has a lot to offer. Wei’s prose is excellent, and the pacing—especially the choice to start at the end and work backward—keeps the narrative engaging.

However, while the writing is strong, the execution feels uneven. The novel sets up emotionally charged family dynamics and complex relationships but lacks the cohesion and narrative punch to fully deliver on its potential. The biggest challenge is Gen herself. Unlikable protagonists can be effective, but here, it’s unclear why we should invest in her story. Her self-involvement and often callous behavior—toward classmates, friends, and even employers—go largely unexamined. The supporting characters feel underdeveloped, seemingly there to highlight Gen rather than offer their own depth, making her arc feel unbalanced.

There’s a lot to admire in this novel, and Wei’s talent is clear. But the story doesn’t land with the power I was hoping for. While I can’t say I loved it, I found it thought-provoking and see real promise in Wei’s work. I’ll be watching for what she does next.

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei brings to life the story of two girls, Genevieve and Arin, and what constitutes a family in the face of betrayal. Themes of familial love, female relationships, friends vs. lovers, us vs. them, and winning at all costs are as present today as they were ages ago, allowing the reader to be connected and captivated with the characters and storyline in this fabulous literary debut novel. With excellent prose and an appreciated storytelling pace, Wei has masterfully invoked a wide range of emotions from one chapter to the next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.

This is a story about two girls in Singapore who were brought up as sisters. As children they are very close; as adults, not so much. Brought up to be strivers of excellence, it affects their relationship, until there is a rift. Beautifully written, with just the right amount of description, a fabulous amount of character development, and a ton of emotion, this book is a winner. And I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Original Daughter.

The premise was more intriguing than what I read.

First, the author writes well, there's no question but I'm not sure what the narrative is about.

Yes, it's about family and sisterhood and Gen's relationship with Arin, her sort of, not really sister, but is it?

The narrative read more like it was about Gen and her place in the family, her inability to understand herself.

Who is she? The adored only child of her parents until she wasn't?

An overachieving student who can only memorize facts and equations, but isn't as smart as she assumed she was?

Who is she in relation to Arin?

I don't think the author knows either.

Sometimes, the narrative read like a family drama, other times it was about sisterhood.

It was distracting and confusing, I don't know what the takeaway is supposed to be.

Gen wasn't a likable person, yet I didn't dislike her. She was dispassionate, disgruntled, unhappy; aren't we all in some way?

But is that her true nature or a result of how her and her family didn't turn out?

How is it Arin's fault?

Arin is an innocent in this domestic drama, the spawn of a scandal but not to blame for Gen's family's troubles and drama.

In the end, I cared neither for Gen or Arin and still couldn't figure out the point of the narrative. I really did want to like this.

I guess if it doesn't involve a murderer or a serial killer it's not for me.

I found this story to be a beautiful and compelling story of sisterhood and what happens when two relatives grow apart and end up in very different places in life. Both sisters were very compelling characters, and I especially appreciated the intricacies of their relationship and how it was easy to see why both of them acted the way they acted rather than making one of them good and one of them bad — it felt like much more of a grey area. At points it read like a memoir, which I really liked.

This is a tough review for me. I really wanted to like this book and found the premise unique and pleasant, but the main character was so not likeable it affected my final enjoyment. Willow is the center of the story line, which spans from her elementary age to adulthood, and she frequently asks herself very introspective questions about her family relationships, but she never seems to consider the answers, or her own part in those relationships. In the end, this results in frustration for the reader, with little gratification. The quality of the writing saved this one from the did-not-finish pile for me.

As Genevieve’s mother is dying, she asks Genevieve to reach out to Arin, Genevieve’s long-estranged sister. Arin, a half-sister once adopted by Genevieve’s parents, rose to become first a YouTube sensation and then one of Singapore’s most celebrated actors. Genevieve, a star student eventually hobbled by class disadvantages, failed to gain admittance to a good college and struggled to make it professionally, working in an ice cream shop while trying to hide her disappointment. However, when she finally finds a way to break free and go abroad, a betrayal from Arin shocks her to the core, and she cuts her sister off. Now, years later, she must come to terms with her hurt and her love–and discover whether she can forge a new future with Arin.

This novel is compelling, emotionally vivid, and alive with detail. The world of working class Singapore–and this family within it–came vibrantly alive, and I was carried by the story, finishing the novel in just a couple days. Very much worth a read!

I went into this under the impression that it would be a cozy tale of two sisters, but discovered a journey with significant depth and emotion. After reading, I felt like I just emerged from binging an entire series in my dark cave–still spellbound and melancholy. This is one of those heavily touching books I’ll be thinking about randomly a few years down the line.

The Original Daughter is an epic story of Genevieve and her family living in working-class Singapore. One day, family shenanigans bring Arin to their doorstep. Ultimately, Arin ends up joining the family as Gen’s new little sister. Over the years, we observe the evolution of this family and everyone’s relationships through Gen’s eyes.

The novel reinforces what it means to experience family/sisterhood, betrayal, grief, abandonment, pride/hubris/ambition/loyalty, culture, and trauma. How can a story be so severe in its themes while simultaneously interweaving them through such fluid prose? I was fascinated how Wei was able to shift voices with respect to the scene and the characters’ thoughts, like with Gen’s desperation and defeat. This is absolutely one reason why each character struck me as so relatable and authentic.

I’m incredibly grateful Jemimah Wei decided to share this gem of a debut with the world. Thank you Netgalley + Doubleday for the ARC!