Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim

A Cinderella tale with chinese folklore, trauma and a lot of emotion

Fishbone Cinderella is one of those books that is incredibly easy to read but somehow even harder to put down. The story spans multiple generations of one family and covers a long period of time, but somehow it never feels like it's losing its way. Everything flows really well, and the story constantly gives you a reason to keep reading. There are some genuinely emotional and traumatic moments throughout the book, and the writing does a fantastic job of making you feel what the characters are going through. It doesn't just tell you that something is upsetting; you actually feel the impact that these events have on the characters and the people around them. One of the things I really liked was the way the book mixes real historical events with supernatural elements. I always enjoy stories that bring real history into the plot, and having something as huge as the Second World War playing a part makes the world feel even more alive. It's not just about the war itself either, but the effects it has long after the fighting has stopped, including the complicated relationship between China and Japan and how people continue to deal with what happened. The supernatural side was another big positive for me. I don't know a huge amount about Chinese folklore, but I really liked the idea of the family curse and, more importantly, the way it manifests differently in different generations. Rather than every member of the family simply having the same ability, each generation experiences the curse in its own way. That gives us the chance to see how something supernatural can affect not just the person who has it, but the people around them as well. I also think keeping the supernatural element relatively contained works really well. Some fantasy stories can throw so many different magical systems, creatures and supernatural elements at you that things become difficult to follow. Fishbone Cinderella doesn't do that. It has one central supernatural idea and builds the story around it, which keeps everything focused without making the world feel small. The jumps between generations are another great touch because they allow us to see how the family changes over time and how the things that happen to one generation can continue to affect the next. It also fits perfectly with the idea of a curse being passed down through a family. If I had one criticism, I would have liked to see a few more reunions between certain characters towards the end. There are some people where you almost want that final moment together. But at the same time, I think the decision not to give everyone a perfect ending actually works for the story. Life isn't a fairytale, and even though this is called Fishbone Cinderella, it doesn't need to have the typical fairytale ending to feel whole or complete. In fact, I think that makes the story feel more realistic and grounded. The writing style is fantastic. It's smart without feeling like it's trying too hard to show you how clever it is. It doesn't over-describe everything just for the sake of it, and the plot pulls you in almost immediately. Before long, you find yourself genuinely caring about what happens to these characters. Fishbone Cinderella manages to take elements of Chinese folklore, family drama, history and the supernatural and bring them together without any of them feeling out of place. It's an emotional story about family, trauma, the things we carry from one generation to the next, and what it means to finally break free from the past.