The lover, Um- WHAT?!

As we progress through our course and look at more “modernised” literature, this one appears to be the most prevalent thus far. With the narrator being able to attend school and facing less sexism (comparatively) , this seemed like a significant step forward from the previous novels we have read. Perhaps some of these chances are accentuated by the colour of her skin, but it still felt like a significant leap. But it also did an excellent job highlighting the racism that was still prevalent back then.

This novel virtually matures alongside the narrator. It encompasses her growth from childhood through adulthood, including her problems with family relationships, finding her vocation, and discovering herself. While on her voyage of self-discovery, she meets a wealthy Chinese man in a limousine and falls in love with him. 

The novel moves across two timelines at the same time: the present and the past. It was pretty fascinating since the only way she distinguished between the two timelines was by mentioning the family members. We understood she was talking about the past when she mentioned her mother and brothers. She related to the present while discussing her own boys.

At first, I wondered how she could write about her deceased family members in such a dispassionate tone, but as I went on, it became clearer. It was nice to see her slowly talk positively about her mother and some of the last memories she shared with her.

That was a wonderful opening to the book. BUT OH MY GOD, WHAT WAS THE SECOND HALF?!

“So I became his child. And he became something else for me too.” GIRL, YOU ARE A CHILD.

I knew there was going to be romance because of “the lover”. However, I was still taken by surprise. This was a very illegal relationship, and them knowing that made it infinitely worse. However, there is also a highly symbiotic, toxic variety of illegal. He exploited her for his sexual desires, and she used him for his wealth.

Even the narrator’s family disapproved of the relationship, and the “silence” around the dinner table was so loud that I could hear it through the book’s pages. Throughout the book, all I noticed was manipulation. Manipulating one another to stay together and family members manipulating one another to do as they say. This book just made me so uncomfortable.

What really worried me though, was the eldest brother’s description. I’ll never know if it was simply her anger or jealousy for him, or if she was truly afraid of his cruel motives. What I did notice however was that almost every woman described in this book was described positively, physically and mentally. Perhaps this was because the narrator was female? 

In the end, this book was interesting to read but I would not do it again. 

Question: Do you think the older brother was really as cruel as he is portrayed or was it the narrator’s perception?