THE TIGER MOM'S
TALEby Lyn Liao Butler is
a debut novel which employs family dynamics and humor to explore feelings of
acceptance and belonging. In some ways, it feels like a coming of age story for
the main character, Lexa, who has been estranged from her Taiwanese father
since age fourteen. The circumstances surrounding their rift is a key mystery
in the novel – even though Lexa is now a thirty-something personal trainer
dealing with her parents’ separation, her mother’s attraction to another woman,
and her own efforts at dating. Half-white and half Asian, Lexa is also coping
with the jealousy between her half-sisters – Maddie who is American and Hsu-Ling
from Taiwan. At times relying a bit much on stereotypes, Butler does
convincingly build empathy for Lexa as she struggles with life-changing decisions
and questions of self-identity. THE TIGER MOM'S
TALE received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
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