Jo Kwan is a teenager growing up in 1980s Coventry with her annoying little sister, too-cool older brother, a series of very unlucky pets and utterly bonkers parents. But unlike the other kids at her new school or her posh cousins, Jo lives above her parents’ Chinese takeaway. And things can be tough – whether it’s unruly customers or the snotty popular girls who bully Jo for being different. Even when she does find a BFF who actually likes Jo for herself, she still has to contend with her erratic dad’s behaviour. All Jo dreams of is breaking free and forging a career as an artist.
Told in diary entries and doodles, Jo’s brilliantly funny observations about life, family and char siu make for a searingly honest portrayal of life on the other side of the takeaway counter.
Title: Chinglish
Author: Sue Cheung
Publisher: Andersen Press
Date: September 5th, 2019 (UK)
Genre: YA/MG Contemporary
Chinglish by Sue Cheung – Book Review
When I attended YALC this year, I really wanted to win a copy of this book but alas, I wasn’t successful. So when I had the chance to review this for an Instagram tour, I couldn’t wait! (You can see my original Instagram tour post here. Why not follow me there too while you’re at it? 😉) I was going to just review this on Instagram and not here – however, I had so much more I wanted to say but I hit the character limit on my IG caption!
The story is told in the form of diary entries written by Jo, a teenager growing up living above her parents’ Chinese takeaway. She tells the tales of her mad family, posh cousins, and the friends she makes at her new school. There are first loves, friendship break-ups (and make-ups), and all the other things that come along with teenage life. The diary entries and the humour throughout remind me of the Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison, so I knew as soon as I started reading that I’d love this!
Here’s a section from the back of the book that basically sums up the mad hilarity of Jo’s life:
It’s hard to work out whether I’m Chinese or English but I know this for sure, the following aren’t normal no matter where you’re from:
- Exploding goats (don’t ask)
- Dealing with drunk customers (argh)
- Boiling maggots (ditto)
- Summer holidays to Little Chef (exotic)
- Mum trying to marry me off to David Wong (shudder)
The book made me laugh so many times, but also made me understand what it might be like to live in a country where your parents don’t speak the language very well but you do; the communication issues that arise from that; and the trouble with being bullied because of where your family is from. There are also darker elements, especially later on in the story, when you find out about Jo’s abusive father and how his behaviour, as well as a gambling addiction, affect the family.
Chinglish does a great job of mixing real, serious issues with incredible humour and the kind of innocent teenage insight that makes the world a brighter place. It also teaches some important lessons:
- You don’t need to pretend to be someone else
- It’s perfectly OK (encouraged, even) to be different
- If you have dreams, go after them and make them happen
- If you’ve got serious issues in your family, like an abusive family member, there is always someone who will be able to help
- You shouldn’t let goats eat hops because they will explode (seriously, you need to read the book for this moment alone)
Thanks so much to Darkroom Tours and Andersen Press for sending me a copy of the book. I loved it!
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