Paper Wife: A Novel

Paper Wife: A Novel by Laila Ibrahim
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Immigration is certainly a timely topic in the United States at the moment. This book was a peek into immigration from the perspective of a Chinese woman in the 1920s, during another time of immigration law changes. It's less about the political influences and more about the story of a woman learning how to live in her given situation and with her inner dragon.

Things I appreciated about this book are the author's prose, the respect for marriage (even in a situation that today's modern woman wouldn't idealize), the love for children, and the perspective of an immigrant who pushes through hardship. I was so delighted by the character of the husband; what a good man. And the main character (who has to juggle several identities, part of the intrigue) was easy to like and follow.

The beginning of the story grabbed me immediately. That was a great pleasure! At times, there was a lot of repetition in the story line and conversation. Parts could have moved faster, or focused more on character development during those slower times. Overall, I feel as if I learned from a solid slice of life of an immigrant Chinese woman from this era. It's clear a lot of research went into this without overwhelming the story too much. I will definitely read another from this author!

NetGalley and the publisher granted me this as a free eBook before publication in exchange for a fair review.

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