Rating: 8.5/10
I listened to the audio version of this book and I absolutely loved it. I generally listen to audiobooks at work exclusively (long hours stocking shelves in mind-numbing otherwise). This was one of the only audiobooks that I went out of my way to listen to outside of work on a few occasions. Nancy Wu was an excellent narrator, and I felt as though she did a great job encompassing the characters personalities. She made the book that much more engrossing for the listener. Paper Wife is historical fiction, a departure from my normal 'reads' which generally consist of thrillers, mysteries, and horror novels. And yet, I found myself completely enrapt with the story and the characters. Laila Ibrahim did a wonderful job of capturing the world and the culture surrounding Mei Ling.
The purpose of Paper Wife was to tell the story of a young Chinese girl, Mei Ling, as she goes through much hardship to try to secure a good, harmonious life for herself and primarily her family, set in the 1920s. The story begins in China as Mei Ling is very suddenly married to a stranger that nobody in their family has ever met, in her sister's place. Fiery dragon (the zodiac she was born into) Mei Ling is a far cry from the cautious rabbit that she has to pretend to be. Her husband isn't to know that Mei Ling was sent to marry him instead of Jah Jeh.
"It will seem impossible to take the first step. But on the second step, since you already did one, you know you can take another. Then another and another. Before long you will have have walked into your new life."
She is encouraged and prepared by her family to build this new life in an entirely new country. To build onto the deception that is thrust upon Mei Ling, she is also to become a paper wife. A paper wife is essentially a real wife that exists in a different country under an assumed identity. Her new husband's wife died suddenly and now Mei Ling has to pretend to Wong Lew She to get into America with her new family. If she accidentally answers any of the questions that immigration asks her incorrectly, she will be deported back to her China in disgrace.
I'm going to restrain myself from giving up anymore. Basically the key themes involve a Chinese girl who has to learn to live with the loss of her old family and way of life. Along the way there is hardship but also new relationships and experiences. Mei Ling has to overcome racism as well as the stifling of her true thoughts, emotions, and cultural identity. She is traveling to an entirely new continent with a man she essentially doesn't know (Chinn Kai Li) and she has to take care of the young child (Bo) from his previous marriage. All of that has to weigh down a lot on an eighteen year old.
My main concern was that there seemed to be a lot of serendipity that occurred within the plot. Just a tad deus ex machina. Many of the troubles that Mei Ling was worried about or any thing bad that befell them seemed to be fixed coincidentally with no real struggle. This is more true for some things than others. The problems that Jack Wong caused the family were big and they weren't easy for the characters to solve. What followed that solution however, seemed to me to be wrapped up awfully easy with no real push back. I suppose I found this too easy at times. In real life, there would've likely been more of a real problem at hand.
Something I really liked that Ibrahim included within the dialogue, was a written representation of what it is like to be spoken to when you don't understand the language. As Mei Ling is from China, she only knows and understands Cantonese. While her inner dialogue and the conversations she has with others are written in English, they are technically in Cantonese. Therefore, whenever an American speaks English to Mei Ling, she isn't able to understand what they are saying. Ibrahim does an excellent job displaying this because when the Americans speak, all that is on the page is dashes to indicate places were letters would be. We only know what the Americans are saying if somebody translates to Mei Ling. I thought this was an excellent addition to the dialogue. Sure, it's frustrating to not know what the Americans are saying; but, it is also frustrating to Mei Ling. She doesn't understand what they're saying so neither does the reader. The narrator did an amazing job of getting this feature across.
There is also what I thought to be a great representation of Chinese culture at the time that this takes place. Long gone is the self-centered nature of American culture. Seeing the difference in culture through Mei Ling's perspective is interesting to say the least. You are able to learn so much about the cultural climate and the region at the time. I'm not Chinese, so I can't say that this novel is a perfect representation. But I think that it handled the displays of Chinese culture with respect and matter-of-factness.
If you're into historical fiction, or books where the main character is from an unfamiliar (or just non-American) culture, then please pick this one up. I was able to read and listen to it through Prime Reading on Amazon. If you don't have Prime, then don't fret! It also also available in all the traditional ways (ebook, print, audiobook) without the membership. I think this was a very important novel, written by a talented author whom I hope to read more of in the future!
If you check back in soon though, I may have just posted an email interview that I had with Laila Ibrahim over email!