The Interpreter's Daughter

The Interpreter's Daughter is a memoir that spans 19th-century south China to modern-day Singapore, revealing a family's fascinating story of history, loyalty, and personal sacrifice. It follows the journey of Teresa Lim to uncover her great-aunt Fanny's life and the forgotten conflicts that led to war in Singapore and a long-buried family tragedy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2022
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Discover the captivating story of one family in this beautiful, sweeping, multigenerational memoir that spans 19th-century South China to modern-day Singapore. A captivating and compelling tale of history, family loyalty, and personal sacrifice, this memoir will transport you to a world of mystery and intrigue.

Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake, has crafted a tale that is both fascinating and richly textured, spanning multiple generations and continents. As you delve into the pages of this memoir, you will learn that when families tell stories, what they leave out often re-defines what they keep in. In the case of Teresa Lim's family, these were not secrets intentionally withheld, but truths too painful to confront.

In the last years of her life, Teresa's mother, Violet Chang, had copies of a cherished family photograph made for those in the portrait who were still alive. On the back of the photograph is the place and date: Hong Kong, 1935. Teresa would often look at this photograph, enticed by the fierceness and beauty of her great-aunt Fanny looking back at her. But Fanny never seemed to feature in the told and retold family stories.

Why? Teresa wondered. This photograph set Teresa on a journey to uncover her family's remarkable history. Through detective work, serendipity, and the kindness of strangers, she was guided to the fascinating, extraordinary life of her great-aunt and her world of sworn spinsters, ghost husbands, and the working-class feminists of 19th-century South China.

But to recover her great-aunt's past, we first must get to know Fanny's family, the times and circumstances in which they lived, and the momentous yet forgotten conflicts that would lead to war in Singapore and, ultimately, a long-buried family tragedy.

The Interpreter's Daughter is a beautifully moving record of an extraordinary family history. For fans of Wild Swans, The Hare With Amber Eyes, and Falling Leaves, this is a must-read that will leave you captivated and inspired.

Weight: 582g
Dimension: 163 x 241 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241544402