Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok is a heart-breaking story about hardship, determination, bravery, sacrifices people make for their dreams and obligations. It is about a life full of struggles, but beautiful nonetheless, for in spite of the fact that the serious topics such as child labor, emotional abuse and extreme poverty are raised in the novel, it is also about the first love, loyal friendship and silly antics from time to time.
It is not easy to leave everything behind and try one’s luck at building a life in a new country. Mrs. Chang, the protagonist’s mother, decides that she is obliged to do it for sake’s of her daughter’s future. She understands that her days “as a refined music teacher” are going to end as soon as they land in America. To understand how difficult it is for her to give up on music, one should live and breathe music. She doesn’t manage to assimilate fully, but her daughter, Kimberley, does and this is the main thing for Mrs. Chang. It is a pretty common tendency among immigrants, who move to more prosperous countries without money and any knowledge of a language, to hope that they should give up on themselves to give their children a shot. She fails to understand the USA, speaks a little English and continues to live according Chinese traditions.
Kimberley is the protagonist of the novel. She proves that it is better to be determinate and have a sharp mind than to be born with a silver spoon in a mouth, for the latter doesn’t guarantee neither success nor happiness. Kimberley’s childhood is terrible. The girl, who used to be the best student in her school back in China, realizes that she has to work twice harder than anyone else in order to earn at least satisfactory grades in the USA. It is not only the language that troubles her, it is lack of understanding the way Americans live. Little Kimberley quickly learns that there are such things as racism, misogyny and violation of minorities’ rights. She musters up enough courage not to give up on school. Soon enough she is rewarded for it. Scholarship to Harrison High School is her lucky ticket to bright future. If she succeeds, neither she nor her mother won’t have to work for her Aunt Paula, who seems to be enjoying her younger sister’s misery. The most impressive thing about Kimberley is her cleverness. Though she is madly in love with Matt, she doesn’t make decision based on her emotions. Kimberley knows that in the long run she would definitely fail to make him happy. She gives up on him only to give Matt a chance to have a life he actually wants.
This story is a revealing insight into lives of people who inhabit the poorest districts of New York. The laws of the USA don’t work there, nothing protects illegal and, more often than not, even legal immigrants. These people live on the verge of survival and only enormous determination helps them not to despair. Kimberley is one of lucky ones; her sharp mind and strong will never fail her, but not everyone is born a genius.
