This was the author’s
debut novel and whilst I found the start of the book somewhat stilted, it
improved as the story unfolded. (Review by Fiona de Goede)
The fear that every parent experiences at some stage of the
parenting process, is losing a child.
Young Mimi Truang and her baby daughter Ngan are en route to Vietnam, waiting in the bustling terminal at the Philadelphia airport when the unthinkable happens – the baby disappears right from under Mimi’s eyes. In the split second it took her to place her empty coffee cup in the bin, her baby is gone.
The timeline of the story then moves on to 17 years later, it is now April 2015 and the reader meets two best friends, Sabrina and Kit. They are on the cusp of starting the next phase of their lives, going off to college and waiting to see what their futures hold.
Both are from Asian descent but with vastly different backgrounds. Sabrina and her Chinese Mother Lee Lee battle to make ends meet. Lee Lee has to manage several jobs and Sabrina spends many hours working part-time to supplement their income. Kit, who was adopted as a baby by Americans, has a far more privileged lifestyle and more opportunities are available for her to choose from.
At the end of their final school year, both girls decide to travel to find out more about their roots.
Sabrina plans to go to China to meet her mother’s family and Kit, who has convinced herself that her biological mother is Japanese, sets her sights on Tokyo.
And then, of course, life happens. Sabrina is unable to realize her travel plans and has to stay behind and spend her summer working. Kit arrives in Japan and has the summer of her life. Romance for both girls’ blossoms and the repercussions of these relationships inevitably impact on their lives.
In the meantime, Mimi returns to Philadelphia, adamant that she will find her lost child. She has never given up and with a list of prospective names, she knows with a mother’s instinct that she will recognize her Ngan if she comes face to face with her. She systematically works through the list, until only one name remains…
Anything in addition to this will be a huge spoiler, so I shall leave it there.
This was the author’s debut novel and whilst I found the start of the book somewhat stilted, it improved as the story unfolded. Towards the end I was fully invested in finding out how Mimi, Kit and Sabrina would deal with the truth. I was not disappointed. - Fiona de Goede
My Other Heart is published by Random House ISBN 978-1-529-15407-8
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