“BITTER MELON,” by Cara Chow, Egmont, Dec. 28, 2010, $16.99 (young adult)
People tend to become comfortable where they’re at. Complacency sets in and the status quo rules. With “Bitter Melon,” a novel by Cara Chow, we see how such complacency can be destructive.
Frances is a Chinese-American high school student living in San Francisco. She is expected to be obedient and get straight-As at the academically competitive Catholic private school she attends.
Frances’ future has been planned out for years — she will attend Berkley, get her degree in medicine and take care of her mother in her old age.
That’s the plan — her mother’s plan.
It’s never occurred to Frances to deviate from her mother’s plan. After all, Mommy has made numerous sacrifices so that Frances can follow the path set before her. Too bad Mommy feels the need to mention it all the time.
But when Frances accidentally ends up in a speech class instead of AP calculus, she finds herself intrigued by the new options in front of her. Frances has a talent for public speaking. That won’t matter, however, if Mommy finds out her daughter has strayed.
Parts of “Bitter Melon” left a bitter taste in my mouth, not because the writing was bad, but because it was so good. Cara Chow’s prose helped me invest in her characters, particularly Frances. And the way Frances’ mother treated her daughter really made me mad. It felt as if she was living her life through her child and burdening her with unrealistic expectations.
Books like “Bitter Melon” are important. They give us a glimpse at people and cultures we know nothing about, even if they’re right in our backyards.
Chow does a good job making Chinese-American culture accessible to a large audience. And the story is compelling on a number of other levels, as well.
Many will relate to Frances’ first experience with makeup and an unexpected visitor. And Chow hits the mark in both instances.
“Bitter Melon” is Chow’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.
