When young teen Wen Zhou is stalked by two men at night, in Tiger Daughter by author and lawyer Rebecca Lim, she is caught between fear and rage. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants and has been given a boy’s name because “it’s bad to have daughters”. Her controlling, violent father tells her she is not good enough.
She helps her friend, smart, neglected Henry Xiao, with his English and he reciprocates in maths. Their teacher has encouraged them to apply for scholarships at a selective school. When Henry’s depressed mother commits suicide, Wen forces her own submissive mother to deliver food to Henry and his father.
Much of the story then becomes Wen’s observations of her mother, who speaks four languages but “scurries” and is diminished by her husband’s unreasonable expectations. She tells Wen: “We are all sad … Some of us just hide it better.” Wen could become like her mother but, instead, they find joy in their shared subterfuge, speak out and take control of their lives.
Tiger Daughter is told with authenticity and gives insight into the lives of some Asian-Australian families to elicit understanding, empathy and solidarity. It is full of rage and could be bleak, but symbols of comets, wings and flight show that escape and infinite possibilities, particularly through education, can lie ahead. Wen and Henry are urged to never give up and that their “difference is important”.
Tiger Daughter has just been announced as the worthy winner of the 2024 IBBY Australia Honour Book for Writing.
IBBY Australia announces its selection of two extraordinary books to be included in the prestigious biennial IBBY Honour List for 2024. Each of the two books selected this year, powerfully reflect the experiences of immigrants to Australia.
FOR WRITING: Lim, Rebecca Tiger Daughter Allen & Unwin, 2021.This beautifully crafted novel explores the experiences of Asian immigrants to Australia with wit and authenticity. Wen Zhou is dealing with her father’s overbearing control of their family; helping her friend Henry Xiao develop his English skills; and planning to apply with him for a scholarship to a selective school. But when tragedy strikes the Xiao family, Wen and her mother defy Wen’s father by supporting them. References to Confucius and other Chinese writers denote philosophical tenets and morals explored in this deeply personal narrative of how Wen seeks to reconcile parental expectations with her contemporary Australian social milieu. Details carry thematic weight, eg. Wen’s mother’s tailored, mended suits present a brittle veneer, camouflaging emotional tensions at home, and her cooking for the Xiaos denotes solace. Heavy themes are explored, such as emotional abuse, mental illness, and grief, but there’s also a lightness to the writing, infused with Wen’s quiet wisdom. Readers are left with the promise that two families have taken steps towards healing, and that for Wen and Henry, all will be well.
Zeno Sworder has been awarded the 2024 IBBY Australia Honour Award for Illustration for his fine picture book, My Strange Shrinking Parents.
FOR ILLUSTRATION: Sworder, Zeno My Strange Shrinking Parents Thames & Hudson Australia, 2022. This is an expressive metaphorical exploration of the sacrifices made by immigrant parents for their children to flourish in a new country. The cover depicts a giant child dwarfing his parents; a postage stamp frames the title; endpapers depict teapots from several countries. Told as a fairy tale based on the trope of a bargain – sacrificing centimetres in height each time they give their child what he needs – this is a moving tribute to the parents’ selflessness. The poetic line: ‘They had old shoes, and empty pockets’ resonates with meaning. The exquisite, muted artwork employs light, shade, and perspective to potent effect, and the metaphor of size is repeated, beginning with an iconic bonsai. Sworder’s inventiveness in format and approach, invested with emotional weight and power, speaks in any language. His technique employs graphite powder, pencils, watercolours, art paper, photo references, and digital technology, and was inspired by Japanese woodblock printmakers, Hokusai and Hiroshige. This universal and timeless story of hope and resilience is a gloriously eloquent paean to Sworder’s parents and to any immigrant.
paperbarkwords.blog 