Article contributed by Tessa Qi
TW: Racism
“Life is a balancing act, and the better you get at juggling, the better you get at living.”
Life has never been easy for Valora Luck, and she is determined to change that by starting a new journey to America aboard the Titanic. Having been apart from her twin brother for two years, Valora is set on reuniting with him in the hope of convincing him to join the famous American circus as a sibling acrobat group. After failing getting on the ship using the tickets that her employer bought, Valora proceeds to stow away on the ship and later on, disguises herself as a widowed lady (unbeknownst to others, the lady has recently passed away as well). Valora’s bold acts put her in constant danger of being discovered, but her determination gets the better of her and she finally manages to find her brother accompanied by some other Chinese seaman as well. In the year of 1912, America had issued the Chinese Exclusion Act which would mean they wouldn’t be allowed to enter the country upon arriving. But Valora already has a plan to impress the famous circus master, become one of his acrobat performers, enter America and start a better life. However, their time is limited; not only because of the growing suspicion of the ship stewards, but also by the tragic event that is ticking closer and closer.
This novel is categorised as historical fiction which is loosely based on the eight Chinese survivors of the Titanic. That being said, it is written from the perspective of a young Chinese girl and her take on this tragedy. Interestingly, it is not particularly event based and rather focuses on Valora’s short time on the Titanic and her attempts at trying to impress the circus master. Apart from that, the majority of the book deals with racism and it is even more strongly portrayed from the protagonist’s point of view and how she and her brother and the other Chinese people are being shunned from Western society. It is really heartbreaking to see them trying so hard but also being dismissed so swiftly merely because of the colour of their skin. Lee has put in much effort in researching the history including small details such as their different hairstyles during the period. However, the book doesn’t dwell too much on history but instead works as an undertone and drives the story further.
17-year-old twins Valora and Jamie Luck represent the phoenix and the dragon according to Chinese mythology and they have gone through a lot in the past few years. Being born with a Chinese father and an English mother is not always easy. Their mother hardly ever accompanies them when they go out and their father deals with alcoholism and gambling problems (if I recall correctly). The two were really close in their young ages and they often engaged in acrobatic acts together. However, after losing their mother really young, Jamie left home feeling especially disappointed in their father, leaving Valora alone with the responsibility of taking care of their father and their home. Life has always been difficult, but Valora never gave up. I absolutely adore Valora and Jamie’s relationship. Both are stubborn people, but they have such a strong bond between them that nothing can come between. Even though they might be bickering all the time, they never stopped loving and caring for each other. Valora is the dreamer of the two, she has her own dreams and strives to achieve them using whatever means necessary; Jamie is the realist, and he seems to be more grown up than Valora. Lee also introduces us to some fantastic side characters as well, and potential love interests for both Valora and Jamie, although not predominantly focused.
Additionally, I have to applaud Lee’s writing style. She brings to light a new perspective of what life could have been like for the eight Chinese survivors, moments before the tragedy of the Titanic. She doesn’t shy away from the harsh conditions they have to deal with and as Valora consistently moves between first and third class, we get to see both sides of the society as well.
As a Chinese living in the UK myself, I feel especially close to these characters from the bottom of my heart. Even though I have never dealt with racism personally (and hope that I never will), some of my friends have had such unpleasant experiences and it breaks my heart to read Valora’s similar experience more than a century ago. To make it even more frustrating, Valora not only deals with racism, but discrimination against women as well, which not surprisingly, still remains a social problem in the present day.
Minor spoiler: Those familiar with Jack and Rose’s story would know what the ending was like for them, no matter how much we pray for a happy and comforting ending. So just a heads up, plots are about to thicken in the last quarter of the novel and get ready for some stunning, touching and heartbreaking moments. Every journey needs to come to an end, and so does Valora and Jamie’s as well.
Luck of the Titanic is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
From the critically acclaimed author of The Downstairs Girl comes the richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British – Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill fated maiden voyage.
Southampton, 1912: Seventeen-year-old British-Chinese Valora Luck has quit her job and smuggled herself aboard the Titanic with two goals in mind: to reunite with her twin brother Jamie–her only family now that both their parents are dead–and to convince a part-owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus to take the twins on as acrobats. Quick-thinking Val talks her way into opulent firstclass accommodations and finds Jamie with a group of fellow Chinese laborers in third class. But in the rigidly stratified world of the luxury liner, Val’s ruse can only last so long, and after two long years apart, it’s unclear if Jamie even wants the life Val proposes. Then, one moonless night in the North Atlantic, the unthinkable happens–the supposedly unsinkable ship is dealt a fatal blow–and Val and her companions suddenly find themselves in a race to survive.
Stacey Lee, master of historical fiction, brings a fresh perspective to an infamous tragedy, loosely inspired by the recently uncovered account of six Titanic survivors of Chinese descent.
