Ghost Girl, Banana: worldwide buzz and rave reviews for this moving and unforgettable story of family secrets

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JW: How has having a community of writers around you helped with your writing journey? Do you have any advice for writers trying to find their community? Discovering family history or secrets is always interesting, and I specifically like this kind of story. This book has a clear premise with the combined stories over decades and countries that explore multiple themes like immigration, belonging, identity, love, and family dynamics. Lily Miller (or Li-Li) grew up in London, the misfit daughter of a Hong Kong mother (Sook-Yin, who died when Lily was young) and white English father. When Lily is unexpectedly named as a beneficiary in a will of a wealthy businessman from Hong Kong, Lily sets out on a pilgrimage to Kowloon to discover her mother’s past, what caused Sook-Yin to be exiled to London and ultimately her tragic passing.

Ghost Girl, Banana is an epic yet deeply intimate novel. I could feel the vibration of these women existing in the wider world; their stories are so skilfully shot through with the hum of change' Kate Sawyer, author of Costa prize-shortlisted The Stranding

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Fresh, funny, infuriating, heartbreaking - Ghost Girl, Banana is sure to be a massive hit. I adored it." - Emily Koch

Lily has hazy memories of the past, these memories creep up bringing her anxiety. She can't place them, but there is something from the past she can't grasp. Everything she thought was true suddenly seems like a lie. But I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Lily and her sister, Maya. Initially, it was pretty tense, and I did not understand some of Maya's actions, but as secrets came to light and Lily knew what she wanted her life to take her, I liked seeing their interaction and closeness during this time. When Maya came to Hong Kong when she was heavily pregnant, it showed her unconditional love for her young sister; I loved seeing that. I thought it interesting to show how there is discrimination against Westernized Chinese in the use of the terms “ghost” and “banana.” Sook-Yin's half-British daughter Lily is the Ghost Girl, a foreigner in Chinese eyes, as she is part white, and though she looks Chinese, she is also a banana -yellow on the outside, but white on the inside due to her upbringing. The term "banana" may also refer to Lily’s mother Sook-Yin, who married a British man. Another aspect I found didn’t work was that Lily’s visit to Hong Kong coincided with the British handover of Hong Kong and while this had some interesting historical connections it felt like a tokenistic addition.It’s a story of identity, belonging, family secrets and sibling rivalry written in clean, crisp prose and in shifting chapters that at the beginning of the story are a little jarring, but give the story pace and power as it reaches its conclusion. Londoner Lily Chen descends into the maze of 1990s Hong Kong to piece together her late mother’s secret past in this slow-burning mystery. Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. The story opens with Lily a young woman with obvious mental health issues and a relationship with a much more successful older sister that is both dependant, resentful and loving. She is conflicted by the fact that while her blond sister 'passes' as English she has always been noticeably Chinese even though she is almost totally disconnected from her Chinese heritage. Her mother, Sook-Yin, died when she was very young and her father and sister refuse to engage on the subject, denying even her vaguest childhood memories.

A story of family, love, redemption and belonging, told with such heart and empathy. Essential and utterly unforgettable." - Fíona Scarlett My immigrant mother had died and left me with half an identity about as useful as a broken mug,” Lily says in London in 1997. Lost, depressed and feeling inferior to her elder sister Maya, Lily’s quest for her heritage is sparked when she is unexpectedly named in the will of a wealthy Chinese stranger. She faces the life-changing prospect of inheriting half a million pounds on the condition that she visits Hong Kong to sign the papers.However, Lily was still remembering a little bit of memories of her life in Hong Kong as well as the flight returning to London after her mother’s sudden death. She felt like there was an unfinished business. Although Maya, her elder sister, kept saying there was nothing, Lily knew there were secrets that Maya and their father had kept and she needed to return to Hong Kong to find out. Wiz Wharton Ghost Girl Banana goes from the 1966 during the “Chinese Windrush” and 1997. During the 1966 we meet Sook-Yin who leaves Kowloon to go to London for a better life. Her family sends her off to restore their honor, make more money and help them at home. Sook-Yin must make a life in gloomy London, while being exposed to racism and trying to find community. She started her training as a nurse but things go south very fast. However, once she decides to travel to Hong Kong she develops more agency and gradually becomes less naïve, more insightful and more able to control the trajectory of her own life. (I may have murmured 'Go girl!' on a couple of occasions) A gripping and evocative tale of family secrets, courage, adversity and love. Sook-Yin and Lily's stories are beautifully told and truly unforgettable . . . such accomplished storytelling and gorgeous prose. Brilliant' Emma Stonex

I really enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between Lily and her sister, Maya. It was very strained in the beginning, but as secrets are revealed and Lily came to terms with who she is and where she wants her life to lead her, I loved watching the effects this had on the dynamics between this next generation.Years later, when Lily receives an unexpected inheritance from a mystery benefactor in Hong Kong, she decides to travel to her mother’s birthplace to find out why – and uncovers the secrets her family have been hiding for so long. Uneven execution aside, Ghost Girl, Banana makes for a compelling and immersive spanning decades and continents, exploring identity, belonging, and the tribulations of two women, mother and daughter, as they attempt to survive family expectations and deceptions. Some minor reservations aside, this debut certainly succeeds in establishing Wiz Wharton as an author to watch as her writing is confident and her story is thematically rich. The chapters alternate between Sook-Yin’s one, which takes place in the mid-60s and early 70s, as she leaves Hong Kong behind to work as a nurse in England, and her youngest daughter, Lily, during Hong Kong's Handover to China in 1997. An intriguing, beautifully written study of the stories we inherit. I loved being in Lily and Sook-Yin's heads, my heart breaking for them . . . I loved it!' Nikki May A story of family, love, redemption and belonging, told with such heart and empathy. Essential and utterly unforgettable' Fíona Scarlett