The City of Sealions

by Eva Sallis

Issues of self-discovery, Muslim culture, and the mother–daughter relationship are explored in this beautifully crafted novel. Lian's father is Australian, her mother a Vietnamese refugee; growing up on a tiny island in Australia, she resents her mother's Vietnamese heritage and her own mixed race. When Lian flees her native country to study in Yemen she experiences a welcome loss of identity, immersing herself in the richness of the Arabic culture and language. But, eventually the overwhelming challenges of living in a foreign culture help her to find compassion for her mother's difficult life. Breathtaking ocean and mother-goddess imagery abound in this timely and compassionate work.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Also known as Eva Hornung: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Natalie Moss · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the prose was nice, and enjoyed the initial premise and the descriptions of Sanaa. I think the pacing was strange in places and Phi Van/Lian/Nevs relationship should have been explored more, especially with regards to Phi Vans backstory. I probably would’ve given this book three stars if not for the ending. Lian, after falling in love with Arabic and Yemen, gets pregnant and goes home excited to see her abusive mother. I thought it was a lazy way to end it and didn’t tie up any of the lose ends in the story, nor did it really make sense in the context the first part of the book. It was also super predictable.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eva Sallis is a South Australian author. I believe this is one of her early books, written early 90s. Shows signs of being an early effort. Some of the writing doesn’t quite work. But it did grip me eventually. Concerns the daughter of a Vietnamese ‘boat person’ (refugee), brought up on Kangaroo Island. The mother is clearly mentally scarred by her experiences and takes it out on the daughter, Lian. Lian becomes fascinated with Islam and goes to live and study in the Yemen. The interesting parts for me, were her struggles with adapting to Yemeni life. Worth a read. I found the ending a bit unsatisfactory, but overall I enjoyed it.