Set across 1960s England and 1990s Hong Kong, Wharton's beautifully nuanced saga of family, heritage and heartbreaking secrecy finds both a mother and her daughter striving to piece together the disparate pieces of their identity.
A stunning, powerful debut novel about the choices we make and what it costs to belong, for fans of Brit Bennett and Clare Chambers.
1966: Sook-Yin is exiled from Kowloon to London with orders to restore honour to her family. As she strives to fit into a world that does not understand her, she realizes that survival will mean carving out a destiny of her own.
1997: Sook-Yin's daughter Lily can barely remember the mother she lost as a small child. But when she is unexpectedly named in the will of a powerful Chinese stranger, she embarks on a secret pilgrimage to Hong Kong to discover the lost side of her identity and claim the reward. But she soon learns that the secrecy around her heritage has deep roots, and good fortune comes at a price.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781399700337
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 640 g
Dimensions: 238 x 162 x 42 mm
Ghost Girl, Banana is an epic yet deeply intimate novel. I was rapt throughout, propelled by Wiz Wharton's taut, immersive prose. She swept me up in Sook-Yin and Lily's mirrored journeys of discovery, spanning decades and continents, but always I could feel the vibration of these women existing in the wider world; their stories are so skilfully shot through with the hum of change - Kate Sawyer, author of The Stranding
A story of family, love, redemption and belonging, told with such heart and empathy. Wiz Wharton is a phenomenal talent, original, fresh, and with a pinpoint clarity to her prose that cuts right to the bone. She has created such a special book, with a story that needs to be told. Essential and utterly unforgettable - Fíona Scarlett, author of Boys Don't Cry
An intriguing, beautifully written study of the stories we inherit. I loved being in Lily and Sook-Yin's heads, my heart breaking for them . . . I loved it! - Nikki May, author of Wahala
Sparkling prose and a page-turning plot combined with wonderful storytelling . . . An absolutely dazzling debut - Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl
Every now and again a book comes along that isn’t typical of your reading habits, but goes on to become one of the most profound and exquisite literary experiences you’ve had in a long time. Ghost Girl, Banana is... More
A compelling debut novel, inspired by Wharton's discovery of her mother's diaries detailing her life as a Chinese woman immigrating to England. This is a dual time line story. Lily receives notice of a... More
I adored Ghost Girl Banana, Lily was such a beautiful character, a delicate vulnerable young woman whose life appeared to be going nowhere.
A letter, an inheritance challenged Lily’s history, her memories of her...
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