The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei

BATB score: 6/10 🙃

Best to: a pastime read to accompany your slow life upon retirement

BATB lingering thought: maybe we leave the long novels for later

Best as: oldest / original daughter dilemma, mother’s disappointment in daughter, sisters passive aggressive rivalry, so who takes care of mother when she’s on her deathbed?

Best for: only if you are an oldest daughter in an asian family

Best quotes: “There was considerable freedom to be had in knowing and accepting that I was a disappointment to my mother.”

“So what if you’re not extraordinary to everybody else? Is it not enough to be special to me?”

“How various our excuses, as we flail about in our attempts to avoid facing the shame of wanting love.”