The Conjoined, by Jen Sookfong Lee
ECW Press
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Sabryn Rock
General Fiction
Audiobook
Narrated by Sabryn Rock
7 Hours, 26 Minutes
My Rating (out of 5)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
A well written story of family, heartbreak, love, and legacy in all their many and complicated forms.
Like most kids, Jessica Campbell grew up believing in the inherent goodness of her parents - especially her mother who devoted herself to fostered children from troubled homes, often themselves somewhat troubled. Her mother's work as a foster parent is what inspired Jessica to become a social worker - to help.
After her mother loses her battle with cancer, Jessica is helping her father empty the family home as he downsizes. Imagine the shock when the bodies of two young girls are found in a freezer in the basement. Jessica remembers two sisters - children of troubled Chinese immigrants, that were staying with the family before disappearing many years before and were assumed to have run away.
What follows is a search for answers. Who were these girls really? Who was her mother really? How can she reconcile what she knew of her mother against the backdrop of finding these two bodies, stored in the family home all those years? In reexamining the past, Jessica must also reexamine who she truly is in the present.
The story is told in alternating time lines. Little by little we learn of what led to these young girls being taken into the system, and how easily their disappearance was written off as "just a couple of runaways". Lee's approach to the story made the book very readable, despite some very disturbing themes.
This book may be a work of fiction, but it is also a social commentary on the issues facing society in regards to protecting children who are at risk due to unstable family situations. Lee does a fine job of portraying the difficulties of providing proper care for at risk families in a system that is burdened well beyond its limits.
Narration was provided by Sabryn Rock with good cadence and tone, and good range of character and emotion. Her performance was well suited to the story.
A profound and moving novel, well written and delivered.
After her mother loses her battle with cancer, Jessica is helping her father empty the family home as he downsizes. Imagine the shock when the bodies of two young girls are found in a freezer in the basement. Jessica remembers two sisters - children of troubled Chinese immigrants, that were staying with the family before disappearing many years before and were assumed to have run away.
What follows is a search for answers. Who were these girls really? Who was her mother really? How can she reconcile what she knew of her mother against the backdrop of finding these two bodies, stored in the family home all those years? In reexamining the past, Jessica must also reexamine who she truly is in the present.
The story is told in alternating time lines. Little by little we learn of what led to these young girls being taken into the system, and how easily their disappearance was written off as "just a couple of runaways". Lee's approach to the story made the book very readable, despite some very disturbing themes.
This book may be a work of fiction, but it is also a social commentary on the issues facing society in regards to protecting children who are at risk due to unstable family situations. Lee does a fine job of portraying the difficulties of providing proper care for at risk families in a system that is burdened well beyond its limits.
Narration was provided by Sabryn Rock with good cadence and tone, and good range of character and emotion. Her performance was well suited to the story.
A profound and moving novel, well written and delivered.
Happy Reading,
Christine
No comments:
Post a Comment