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The Better Mother
From a master of family dynamics comes this vivid tale of two misfits who find each other while stumbling toward their own true identities. In 1958, eight-year-old Danny Lim has been sent to buy cigarettes for his father, when he realizes that he has lost the money. Frantic, he rushes through Vancouver's Chinatown and behind a nightclub, where he sees Miss Val, a long-time...more
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by Knopf Canada
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It’s 1982 and thirty-two-year-old Danny Lim has returned to his parents’ home after leaving at age eighteen to escape the constant demands of his father and the continual questioning from his mother. He has returned because his sister, Cindy, told him: “…I can’t do it by myself anymore…all they do is wonder where I am.” Danny felt he never really belonged. He had been meeting Cindy for drinks once a week for the last thirteen years at various bars and restaurants in the Vancouver area.
Danny ent...more
Danny ent...more
At first, this book really frustrated me, as I felt something was missing, but I couldn't quite articulate it. There was something wrong. However, by the end of the book, the themes and the depth of the story really came together and worked.
The author did many things right in this book. The historical research and setting were well done. There were large sections on the burlesque culture in the 1950s and beyond, and a section on the relationship between a young white woman and a much older Chine...more
The author did many things right in this book. The historical research and setting were well done. There were large sections on the burlesque culture in the 1950s and beyond, and a section on the relationship between a young white woman and a much older Chine...more
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A wonderful novel, moving between years. The main character is Danny Lim. Danny grew up in Vancouver's Chinatown, but left as soon as he became 18, not wanting the life his parents envisioned for him. Danny is struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality and remains in the closet to all but his sister and close friends. He works as a wedding photographer but dreams of a photography exhibit of his personal work. When Danny was a child he had an encounter with an exotic dancer that he has ne...more
I won this as a Firstreads Giveaway, and really enjoyed it. I was fascinated by both characters' stories (Val's more than Danny's). There was a random chapter near the end of the book from Danny's mother's perspective that I did not think really fit... for me it did not add any new perspective to Danny's relationship with his parents, or even any insight into Betty herself.
Great book, I recommend it!
Great book, I recommend it!
Jen Sookfong Lee's soon to be released novel The Better Mother focuses on the intricacies and complexities of family dynamics. Weaving together the story of photographer Danny Lim and former burlesque dancer Miss Val (aka The Siamese Kitten), the novel touches upon such issues as AIDS, prostitution, and homosexuality.
I have been gorging myself with a lot of YA fiction lately, so when I discovered that I had won a copy of The Good Mother from Goodreads I was excited for a change from my recent re...more
I have been gorging myself with a lot of YA fiction lately, so when I discovered that I had won a copy of The Good Mother from Goodreads I was excited for a change from my recent re...more
Jul 13, 2012
Crystal Allen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
Shelves:
fiction,
4mybookclub
I can not begin to tell you how much I loved this book. It took me right back to my bookseller days when I was reading books by tons of really young, talented writers coming out of the UBC Writing Program. I loved that this book took place in Vancouver so I could picture everywhere the narrators were talking about. Vancouver was as much a character as Danny and Val.
The book went back and forth telling Danny's story (a young, gay photographer in his 30's when AIDS was first diagnosed in Vancouve...more
The book went back and forth telling Danny's story (a young, gay photographer in his 30's when AIDS was first diagnosed in Vancouve...more
I won this book through the Goodread giveaways, and thought it was okay. I liked the author's style of writing a lot. I found Miss Val's character especially engaging and would have loved to have read the whole book from her perspective. I wasn't crazy about the other character and felt like their connection seemed forced.
I won this book from goodreads first reads giveaways.
I normally don't read this kind of book, but I'll try anything. While I enjoyed reading it, and wasn't necessarily disappointed, there were a few things that were a bit off for me.
The novel has two interconnected tales: that of Val, a Burlesque dancer whose peak of popularity happened in the 50's, and Danny, a gay man of Chinese descent who works as a photographer in the early 80s.
I found Val's story to be more poignant and relevant to the b...more
I normally don't read this kind of book, but I'll try anything. While I enjoyed reading it, and wasn't necessarily disappointed, there were a few things that were a bit off for me.
The novel has two interconnected tales: that of Val, a Burlesque dancer whose peak of popularity happened in the 50's, and Danny, a gay man of Chinese descent who works as a photographer in the early 80s.
I found Val's story to be more poignant and relevant to the b...more
1 like · like · see review
Jen Sookfong Lee weaves together the stories of two people from very different circumstances who are ultimately shaped by each other. The same themes of family, identity, and loss run through each of their tales.
I found the characters complex: both flawed and beautiful. No one is what they seem at first glance.
While the ending does not wrap up plot points cleanly, I found the conclusion perfectly satisfying. Though typically I dread books that end similarly (it seems it could be lazy or rushed)...more
I found the characters complex: both flawed and beautiful. No one is what they seem at first glance.
While the ending does not wrap up plot points cleanly, I found the conclusion perfectly satisfying. Though typically I dread books that end similarly (it seems it could be lazy or rushed)...more
Jen Sookfong Lee is an artist who uses words to create images that allow us view the soul of another. Central to the story is Danny a young homosexual man living in Vancouver during the HIV/AIDS epidemic and Val a retired burlesque dancer who Danny first encountered when he was 8 and who epitomized understanding, kindness and beauty which was lacking in young Danny's life.
Sookfong Lee shows us that we are all shaped, molded and defined by our life experiences and the people we encounter but it...more
Sookfong Lee shows us that we are all shaped, molded and defined by our life experiences and the people we encounter but it...more
This book is about identity and acknowledging who you are. Everyone is worried about what their family, friends and neighbours will think of them if they knew their dark secrets.
The lives of two strangers intersect: Danny Lim a Chinese boy who grows up gay in the 80's when AIDS was first recognized as a disease and Miss Val/Valerie who is a burlesque dancer in Chinatown. They give each other the courage to no longer hide from those they love.
Danny's relationship with his parent's is strained. He...more
The lives of two strangers intersect: Danny Lim a Chinese boy who grows up gay in the 80's when AIDS was first recognized as a disease and Miss Val/Valerie who is a burlesque dancer in Chinatown. They give each other the courage to no longer hide from those they love.
Danny's relationship with his parent's is strained. He...more
This is the story of two very interesting people - a closeted gay man living in Vancouver just as the AIDS crisis is being discovered amongst the gay population and a former Burlesque dancer. They are parallel stories and both hold up on their own. My only criticism is the way the author linked both stories/characters feels a bit forced. Other than that, a very satisfying novel to read.
Living in a world of his own making and escaping from a house in which he never belonged are his two successes. (p. 14-5)
Leaving was one of two choices. He could stay, and work in the curio shop for the rest of his life. He would marry a girl he barely knew or barely tolerated, and live in this house with his parents, eating the same food, staring at them staring at him. If he left, non one would notice him. He would be invisible, moving around this city or another one, one body among many - lif...more
Leaving was one of two choices. He could stay, and work in the curio shop for the rest of his life. He would marry a girl he barely knew or barely tolerated, and live in this house with his parents, eating the same food, staring at them staring at him. If he left, non one would notice him. He would be invisible, moving around this city or another one, one body among many - lif...more
A good novel about mothers and family secrets. Takes place in the 1940s and 1950s Vancouver and 1982 Vancouver. Well-written and it's sticking with me.
Again, more of a 3 and a half. Some of it was a little boring, but the good parts were really good.
I loved it, I just wish it gave a few more details at the end.
The Better Mother was a moving story about a young Chinese man named Danny and the exotic dancer Val that he meets by chance as a child in a damp Vancouver alleyway. One would think that the two would have no business being friends but they find comfort sharing their stories and developing the strength to face the truths that they have been hiding from their whole lives. The obligation and truth that entangles us which we label family and the beauty of love and friendship are inherent themes in...more
Good
This book is not what I expected at all. Part of it was written from a males perspective by a female writer, and that messes with my head a bit. Definitely some interesting bits in the book though.
This book made me miss Vancouver - the parts of it I know and the parts I never knew exsisted.
May 28, 2013
Erin
marked it as to-read
May 26, 2013
Mary Yahalom
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Catherine Egan
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2013
Lucas Ernesto
added it
Mar 13, 2013
Alisha
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Mary
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Jen Sookfong Lee writes, talks on the radio and loves her slow cooker.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, wa...more
More about Jen Sookfong Lee...
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, wa...more
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