The Original Daughter

By Jehmimah Wei
** Publication Date 6 May 2025 **
4 stars


​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.