“Bitter Melon,” by Cara Chow,  Egmont USA 2011

 There is so much to love in this unique YA story, I can only be glad that it happens to be set in 1989-1991, falling very neatly into the category of Recent Historical Fiction, which, of course, makes it a perfect candidate to be included on this list: https://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/best-contemporary-historical-fiction-yamiddle-grade/

Okay, so first of all, there is the premise: a Chinese-American teen whose mother has already decided on her future. Young Frances (or Fei Ting — which I think sounds way cooler) must get into Berkeley, conveniently located near home and Mother, and become a doctor, to help her ailing mother get cured of her stomach issues. I mean, we’ve all heard about some very pushy parents, but this? Wow. The conflict that this promised hooked me immediately. And for the most part, the story did not disappoint. Fei Ting is an incredibly complex and well-developed character. Often she is neither particularly nice, nor wise — but she is trying — and I think that makes her all the more endearing. Her mother also seems to have many sides to her personality. She is a selfless parent, crazy about her daughter. “You are my life,” she tells her. That same woman is a cruel and calculating bully. As I read, the mother fascinated and terrified me. 

I think the pushy parents “mommy-knows-best” theme is very interesting. I have struggled with it myself, as a daughter and granddaughter, and continue to grapple with it now as a mother, and I imagine most other people do too.  Also, I really enjoyed getting to know the Chinese-American culture, from the food to the occasional Cantonese, to even the characters’ thoughts sometimes, I felt like I got a glimpse into that world, without feeling as though I was reading a primer.

Personally, I would have liked a bit more of the taste of the early 1990s — not just the place, San Francisco, which was beautifully rendered, but also the time. Why couldn’t the story have been set during any other period? I am sure there is a good answer and I would have loved to know it. Also, I wasn’t sure how I felt about Fei Ting’s crush. I couldn’t say I really understood him all that well. Even so, I rooted for Fei Ting, and hoped, for her sake, that her feelings for this guy would be answered in kind.

Most important of all, though, I totally raced through this emotionally charged story. When I finished it, many of its images and scenes stuck in my mind. My favorite ones: Fei Ting’s mother beating Fei Ting with a trophy, Fei Ting wearing her mother’s old dress to the prom (naturally, without her mother’s permission) and the ending scene with her mother . . . which I won’t give away here, of course! 🙂