Written by contributor Jee W
With a title and book cover like this one, it was hard not to be tempted to want to read it, and so, read it I did. At first, judging from its title, I was expecting a story that was going to be told from a tiger mom’s point of view, but I soon found out, right from the start, that it was a story about Alexa Thomas, or fondly known as Lexa, a personal trainer living in New York City who led a busy life catering to the demands of her health-conscious clients.
The book opened with Lexa being told by her mother that she was leaving him for another woman, Phoenix. Despite being shocked by the news, Lexa was more willing to accept her mother’s new relationship as compared to Maddie, who was mad at her for leaving her father. As the story progressed, we’d come to learn that Maddie was having some marital problems too and was overwhelmed by everything that was thrown at her at once.
While learning to accept her mother’s relationship, Lexa soon found out that there was more in store for her. Her Taiwanese sister, Hsu-Ling had just informed her that her biological father whom she had not met for more than 20 years, had passed away in a tragic accident. Hsu-Ling was coming to meet her in NYC because, according to her, Lexa was part of the father’s will. On top of that, Lexa found out that her Taiwanese family was going to lose their home and she was the only one who could save them from having nowhere to live.
As much as she was shocked to learn that she was part of her father’s will and was given such a big responsibility to save her Taiwanese family, Lexa was in a dilemma—should she help a family who had once betrayed her and her trust more than two decades ago? Do they deserve to be forgiven? Despite all these, she was also juggling a long-distance relationship with a man whom she had fallen head over heels with. But she couldn’t see a future with him, not only because they lived so far away, but also because he wanted children and she didn’t. What would and should Lexa do?
The story flowed seamlessly, kudos to the author’s storytelling skills. She kept this reader at bay as to what the family secret was, at the same time, introducing other characters into the story. While going back and forth between the present and the past when Lexa visited Taiwan with her mother, you could feel how conflicted Lexa was in being caught up between her two families, one in America and the other in Taiwan. And not only was she learning about her new family, but at the same time, she was also discovering the other part of her by learning the language, absorbing the culture, tasting new food, and most of all, trying to reaffirm her identity as part Chinese. Was she Chinese enough to be Chinese? Fortunately, besides the weather, she adapted easily and the Changs were very welcoming; the father doted on her, spoiling her with gifts and good food, and Hsu-Ling, her sister, whom I thought, would be jealous of her with the attention she was getting from her father, instead loved Lexa just as much as her father, even grandma and Uncle Pong grew fond of Lexa. All of them, except for one, which you’ll find out in the story.
On the other hand, her American family was trying to adjust to some changes too. Maddie was trying to work out on her marriage while trying to care for her kids, while Susan was reprioritising her life now that she was in a new relationship, and Greg, Lexa’s stepdad, seemed to be mysteriously occupied too. Will the Thomas family be able to cope with all that was going on? Will Lexa be able to find a right balance between her two families and her love life?
My favourite parts were definitely Lexa’s first visit to Taiwan, when she was introduced to all the popular hangouts and the local delicacies. Just reading about the sesame balls got me all craving for them. I love red bean sesame balls and didn’t know they were sold in Taiwan too. And not to mention stinky tofu! I had always thought it was a Hong Kong thing. And of course, who doesn’t love bubble tea. Have I mentioned the floating fish balls? They are so popular in Taiwan that they are sold in Malaysia too, and the Malaysians love them. When traveling is safe again, Taiwan will be one of my destinations to visit.
I also enjoyed reading about the chemistry Lexa shared with her sisters, Maddie and Hsu-Ling. Although their differences in personalities got on to Lexa’s nerves in the beginning, always having to walk on eggshells when being in their company, she eventually learned how to navigate between her sisters and allowed nature to take its course.
There was nothing I didn’t like about the novel, although I did wish the characters were more developed, as I felt they were slightly compromised because of the many other side characters that were introduced, which I felt weren’t integral to the story, like her crush, Yung; the bartender Rob; some of her clients like Christy and Kiley, her shi-fu and a few others. And I also felt the kung-fu parts and towards the ending when she met a stranger at the Confucius statue, were a little forced. That aside, I appreciated the author’s intention of including the other characters to bring discuss other themes besides family, identity, and love, such as racism, Asian women fetishism, and body image. Yes, there were a lot that the author tried to achieve in one novel; an attempt I respect, this being her first novel.
If you’re looking for a quick story to devour, give this a gander, especially if you love a good family drama, and one that includes learning something about our Asian culture and Taiwanese food!
The Tiger Mom’s Tale is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 6th 2021.
Will you be picking up The Tiger Mom’s Tale? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
When an American woman inherits the wealth of her Taiwanese family, she travels to confront them about their betrayals of the past in this stunning debut by Lyn Liao Butler.
Lexa Thomas has never quite fit in. Having grown up in a family of blondes while more closely resembling Constance Wu, she’s neither white enough nor Asian enough. Visiting her father in Taiwan as a child, Lexa thought she’d finally found a place where she belonged. But that was years ago, and even there, some never truly considered her to be Taiwanese.
When her estranged father dies unexpectedly, leaving the fate of his Taiwanese family in Lexa’s hands, her safe life in New York City is no longer enough. She is faced with the choice to return to Taiwan and claim her place in her heritage . . . or leave her Taiwanese family to lose their home for good.
Armed with the advice of two half sisters (one American and the other Taiwanese, who can’t stand each other), a mother who has rediscovered her sexuality, and a man whose kisses make her walk into walls, Lexa finally confronts the person who drove her away from Taiwan all those decades ago. As the truth of the last fateful summer in Taiwan slowly unfolds, Lexa must stand up for herself and open her heart to family and love, or allow the repercussions of her family’s choices to forever dictate the path of her life.
