Excellent read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Wow wow wow. Brilliant characters, gripping story, moving… the works. Loved it! This is going to be a big hit in 2023.

As someone who has lived in Hong Kong, I was captivated by this story! Loved all the references to HK food, language and customs, and how the HK people interacted. It was a very realistic story of how the 2 cultures see each other and the differences between them whilst telling a story of the family and all the difficult times they went through. Secrets and lies and miscommunication made for a very interesting story. My only question (as a Hong Kong resident for many years) is why did the author always refer to herself as staying or coming back to or being in Kowloon high is an area in HK but not the country? Just a little confused. Loved the book!

This unusual, challenging novel opens with an account of four-year-old Lily, en route to London, who is looking through an airplane window at the British countryside that unfolds below her. Several years later, we encounter Lily, now a young Londoner in the late 1990s, whose mental health is fragile. Her young adult story is alternated with recollections of her mother Sook-Yin’s life in the same city some thirty years earlier. Both women suffer from societal prejudices: Because she married an Englishman, Sook-Yin, a Hong Konger, is referred to as a ‘banana’ who is yellow on the outside but white on the inside; meanwhile her daughter Lily is called a ‘ghost girl’ when she embarks on a trip to Hong Kong. That the fates of these two women are inextricably linked is therefore already suggested in the novel's title. Underpinning the big themes of colonialism and political upheaval, race and class, memory and intergenerational trauma are frequent allusions to familial matters, and lots of subtle, multisensory descriptions of London and Hong Kong. A wondrous, unusual, highly readable novel that deserves a wide readership. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC I received that allowed me to produce this unbiased book review.

As ever in history, it is through individual human stories that we can trace the fate of nations. It is also how we come to see ourselves.

Wiz Wharton’s ‘Ghost Girl, Banana’ arrives at a time when the future of Hong Kong is in flux, and when the long arm of its past should not be forgotten.

The novel is rendered in two timelines. In 1997, we meet Lily who is confronted by a mystery - why has a stranger in Hong Kong left her a substantial sum of money in his will? 1997 is of course a pivotal moment in the history of Hong Kong, the year the one-time British colony was handed back to China. The last significant British overseas territory, it was and is an economic powerhouse; and the Handover marked the political severing of a link that had lasted 156 years.

Such links run deep in this book, threading through the many families whose experiences spread between Hong Kong and the UK over many decades. Immigration into the UK particularly ramped up during the 1960s, and in the novel’s second timeline we find out how Lily’s mother, Sook-Yin, is exiled by her family, made to travel to the UK on a one-way ticket, and how her life unfurls.

The stories of both women are cleverly intertwined, told with compassion, wit and an appreciation for the random complexity of family relationships. Their experiences are often parallel, separated in time yet complimentary, and as the action moves between the UK and Hong Kong and back again, the reader too encounters sudden immersions in different, sometimes difficult, cultural experiences.

Wharton’s gift for a quotable line lights up every page, making this a visually stunning read (‘Roads as thin as noodles flashed past in a blur of grime…’) as well as a deep dive into the psychology of the many colourful characters, their motivations, hopes, dreams and dilemmas. As such, it’s a very humane work that emphasises joy, love, light and laughter as much as it reveals the shifting sands of racism, intimidation, hardship and indifference.

The novel contains many rich and powerful themes, but the one that struck me most was connection. The shared paths of the two main characters; the link between past and present; the patterns we repeat without knowing it, and the secrets we carry. Also, the shared past of two nations and the people who endured - finding the way when there was one, or making a way when there wasn’t.

‘Ghost Girl, Banana’ is a beautifully written, intelligent novel of two women navigating a brave new world to find the answers they need, then standing by their decisions and living with their discoveries. ‘I had lived through other moments like this – that feeling of standing on the precipice of something already set in motion that I couldn’t see past or take back…’

It is sure to be a highlight of 2023.

With thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.

A gripping historical and intergenerational mystery! I loved reading both points of views and how they intersected with each other, until reaching the end point. Wharton's writing really transports you to Hong Kong!

Wow what a twist at the end of this book! The characters were so engaging and I loved the short snappy chapters which made me want to read on to get back to that characters story

A fascinating, heartfelt story, beautifully told. The setting and characters were richly brought to life and I liked how the central mystery was carefully unravelled across both time strands. I'd definitely recommend Ghost Girl, Banana.

A lovely family drama. Maya and Lily are sisters, the children of a Hong Kong Chinese mother and English father. Sook-Yin, their mother, died in Kowloon when the children were small, and the sisters returned to England to be brought up by their father. Maya has always been protective of Lily, the younger sister, and tries to shield her from the family history. Lily receives notice of an unexpected inheritance but has to travel to Hong Kong to receive it. She takes the opportunity to find out more about her mother's life and family history. Lily has to become more resilient to meet the challenges she finds there.
Alongside Maya and Lily's story, we go back to Sook-Yin's story, her family, friends and lovers. Sook-Yin is a feisty but pragmatic character. I felt great sympathy for all her hardships, and the way she still tried to make a better life. A sad, but lovely story. Recommended.

Mixed race marriage, disappointed lovers, children and misunderstandings, this is a two fold story of the generational pull of displacement and cultural differences. A generation leaving questions about allegiances, family ties and unhappy marriages, and a mysterious large gift in the will of someone unknown to two daughters of a mixed marriage. The story takes us through thirty years of unanswered questions, lies and displaced families in England and Hong Kong.

A story of family love and a woman who seeks redemption for her past. How does her daughter, Lily fit into the story. Why is she being left a bequest in the will of a Chinese multi millionaire?
This is a story of cultural integration and the struggle to belong. Loved it.

I knew from the first page of Ghost Girl, Banana that I was going to fall for this book in a big way. This is when we first meet Lily, as four-year-old girl in red sandals who is looking down through an aeroplane window at a ‘Blue Peter landscape’ of England below. Along with her sister, she is returning to London, unbearably bereft.
When we next meet Lily it is 1997 and she is lost in new and not so new ways, navigating doctors and clinics and her mental health and the mess of being adrift in London in the 90s.
Lily’s story alternates with that of her mother, Sook-Yin, who came to London from Hong Kong in 1966 and when a letter about a mysterious inheritance sets Lily on a path to Hong Kong on the eve of the Handover, Lily’s and her mother’s stories begin to converge in compelling, heart-breaking ways.
I found Sook-Yin’s story incredibly poignant; it’s an intimate portrait that gives a voice to other women of the Chinese Windrush generation – but I think will also resonate with the experiences of women from other marginalised communities, before 1966 and ever since.
The intricate plot is brilliantly brought to life, but for me it’s also the beauty of the writing that shines out. Whether describing the Hong Kong streets where the air is ‘a soup of clove oil and talcum’ or a lunch in London where ‘the brume of vegetables boiled to surrender hung heavy over the table’, you’re right there with Lily or Sook-Yin.
This is an expertly woven story about how guilt and grief can tear apart a family and then the slow, painful rebuilding of selves and bonds. Ultimately, it’s a celebration of love and dual heritages.
It’s a book I feel lucky to have been able to read as a proof but I’ll be buying it too because this one to treasure and hold on to.

I really wanted to enjoy this book and it had a promising start, telling the story of two generations and their journey to self-identity. However, about a quarter of the way through I found myself losing interest. It was a very protracted story and I stopped being able to engage with it completely halfway through. But I appreciate the publisher providing me with access to this ARC.

An exceptional debut, and probably the best book I've read for years.

Wiz Wharton's debut novel is equal parts heartbreaking and heart-warming. The dual timeline follows Lily and Sook-Yin as they uncover family secrets and personal truths, set around 1960s London and 1990s Hong Kong, just before the handover.

It's a twisty, page-turner of a novel but one that flows with such beautiful, evocative writing and nuance that the reader is carried along effortlessly. Strong, solid voices from two engaging leading ladies, mystery wrapped up in history and family drama - Ghost Girl, Banana has everything you could wish for in a novel. Utterly sublime.

I really enjoyed this book which is packed with drama. It is historical fiction which is well researched and I thought it was well written, with interesting characters and fantastic descriptions. I loved the themes of racism and colonialism and thought the story was a very realistic family drama. My sincere thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

An unusual title for a very interesting book. As the story unfolds the meaning of the title is explained. Moving between England and Hong Kong, back in time and present day took a bit of keeping up with. So many themes are explored as part of telling a story. I really enjoyed this book.

This is a stunning debut novel. Beautiful emotive writing and a clever dual timeline narrative that explores the nature of how our heritage affects generations to come.

Ghost Girl, Banana is a stunning debut and it's on my list of my best reads of the year.
In 1966 Sook-Yin arrives in London from Hong King to train as a nurse. 3 decades later in 1997 her daughter Lily travels back to Hong Kong to discover why she's the beneficiary in the will of a mysterious stranger.
I absolutely loved this and it's one of the most emotional, moving and beautifully written novels I've read for a while. I was completely immersed in this family drama and the worlds of Sook-Yin and Lily and moved to tears on more than one occasion. There is great characterisation and a real sense of place- the author evoked the feel of 1960s London and brought Hong Kong alive with such vivid descriptions. More than anything though this is a wonderful and compelling piece of storytelling. Highly recommended, this a novel that will stay with me for a long time.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful novel.

Ghost Girl, Banana is a stunner. Told from both a mother and daughter's perspective over the last years of the Chinese Windrush in 1966 leading up to Hong Kong's handover to China in the 90s, a young woman from London inherits a large sum of money from a mysterious benifcator and so heads to Hong Kong to uncover some secrets of her family's hidden past.

Strong characters, an intriguing storyline and poetic descriptions of Hong Kong combine to make this a must read. I loved it from start to finish. The characters are three dementional, you love them, feel like you know them and you hate the people that cross/hurt them.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperVia for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible debut novel!
From the amazing quality of the writing which is effortlessly precise showing the author's talent as wordsmith. To the topic, that connected with me in some many levels I felt I understood the characters and follow them through highs and lows between present and past in a rollercoaster of emotions. What a journey...
I feel this novel has enriched my understanding of cultural and social issue as well as offering a connection with characters that will stay with me for a long time.

I can't praise Ghost Girl, Banana enough, an absolute five stars read. I'd not be surprised to see it winning literary awards and also be made into a movie. I'd love to read more from this author.