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.

I loved this book it had everything that I enjoy in a good read an exotic setting (Hong kong in the 60s and 90s around handover time ) family relationships and a heart
The added mystery element adds another layer which makes the book unique ,why has the girl been left a bequest in the Will of a perfect stranger
The book is so evocative I felt I could smell the odour of a hot Hong Kong summer so vividly he book almost seems published in smellovision !
The author has a nicely flowing prose style and I found it easy to read her character development is spot on for both the main characters and even for the smaller characters I felt they were real relatable people who I very much wanted to know what happened to .i was very quickly drawn on to the book by the first chapter I was not wanting to put it down
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published in May 2023 by Hodder and Stoughton

I was desperate to get my hands on this novel as the title (which is SO clever) and description had made me think this would be a book that would be right up my street, and I was correct. This is a stunning novel and one that had me in tears more than once. A dual timeline narrative following mother and daughter at different points in time, it manages to make both stories equally compelling AND manages that rare combination of GORGEOUS evocative prose with incredible story-telling & characters & a plot I was dying to know the end of. A story of loss, guilt and belonging that will stay with me for a very long time. Highly recommend .

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no large gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book therefore a star is lost for this.

This was such a good book. I love historical fiction, especially when it is about eras/ situations that I previously knew nothing about and this was definitely one of those books. It was so well researched and so compelling in its narrative that not only did I love reading it but I felt that I learned too. A really enjoyable read and perfect for any fans of historical fiction. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.