The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok - Book Review

Publication Date: 10th Oct 2023

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction 

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Steady paced and well done 

Jasmine runs away from rural China to New York with the help of snakeheads. She doesn’t have the necessary papers but needs to find a job desperately to pay the money loaned for her move. Jasmine hopes for a fresh start away from her controlling husband. She is in the city to find and reunite with her daughter, the one her husband gave away for adoption due to the One Child Policy. 

Rebecca has it all – a flourishing career as an editor-in-chief of a reputed publishing house, a handsome and successful husband, and an adopted daughter. There’s enough money for luxurious living and designer labels. However, a scandal put Rebecca’s career in jeopardy, and she finds herself on the outer boundary in more ways than one. Soon, Rebecca realizes she needs to make some tough decisions if she wants her career and family. 

What brings Jasmine and Rebecca face-to-face? What will happen when things go beyond their control? 

The story comes in Jasmine's first-person POV and Rebecca's third-person POV. It is divided into four parts (not sure why). 

My Thoughts: 

I’m not sure why this is tagged a mystery/ thriller on NetGalley. While it does have a ‘mystery’, 99% of it is evident and too easy to guess. The book works better as women’s fiction or drama. Luckily, I saw the tag on NG after reading it, so it didn’t affect my experience. 

It’s a short book and a quick read. Not everything is explored in detail. However, this works for me since I’d rather have character arcs do the talking than be hit on the head with the message. Jasmine and Rebecca are the main characters and they indeed carry the book well. 

The book deals with themes like motherhood, immigration, love, family, acceptance, relationships, career, choices or the lack of them, casual racism, privilege, Asian fetish, etc. Even though there’s a lot of tell due to Jasmine’s first-person POV, it doesn’t get overboard anywhere. 

We see the ground-level impact of China’s One Child Policy, and there’s no sugarcoating here (neither is much drama). I remember our social teacher in school creating a discussion around it and how a similar policy in India (Two Child Policy) would work in reality. 

We also get a glimpse into the world of publishing, where appearances and persona matter more than maybe even talent. While I am a bit doubtful about a few things (after all, there are enough books in the market that shouldn’t have even been published), I do know that the stakes are high. 

I’m not sure about Anthony’s track, but I’m not the one to say no to a bit of happiness for my characters. I just wish the ending didn’t take such a big leap, like our daily soaps, and tie up the loose ends. A few more pages would have helped.

I like Rebecca’s characterization. She represents millions of people in the thought process (even if they don’t have the same financial privilege). Be it white saviorism or inherent racism, it’s a part of society and manifests itself in different ways. 

The bits about the differences in cultural aspects are well done, whether it is the significance of white flowers or the use of chopsticks. I could connect a lot with this since Indians, too, have to deal with similar apathy and appropriation in the West. There have been countless incidents of sellers printing our Gods on doormats, footwear, underwear, etc. Pubs have our gods painted in their bathrooms! 1-2 years ago, we had to write to a fashion brand about why they should not print our gods on their bikini collection. A quick internet search would tell them (that’s where they get the images, too), but nope, they still go ahead. The reason is quite simple – they don’t give a damn. I don’t even want to start talking about what the billion-dollar white yoga industry does. 

The climax is predictable. I see some readers being surprised by Jasmine’s decision, but that’s the only way it would have gone (or maybe I saw too many movies to guess it right). I have a few doubts about certain plot developments (they seem less likely), but I’ll let it be since the overall presentation delivers. 

To summarize, The Leftover Woman is a steady-paced and balanced read dealing with a multitude of themes. It’s not an easy read, but a worthy one. There are a few triggers, though nothing too graphic. 

Thank you, NetGalley and William Marrow, for the eARC.  

#TheLeftoverWoman #NetGalley

T.W: Mentions of domestic abuse, mention of miscarriage, hints of probable infidelity, mentions of abuse.