Fishbone Cinderella - by Elizabeth Lim (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This stunning hardcover edition includes designed full-color endpapers and a family tree interior illustration.

★"Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

1940s Hong Kong
When Japanese soldiers invade her hometown, Ha Yut Ying makes an unlikely escape--by turning invisible. But her miraculous survival is only the beginning. After the war is over, she's sent to Hong Kong to live with her distant father and glamorous stepmother, who end her dreams of becoming a singer and turn her into the family's servant. As the years pass, Yut Ying learns the hard truths of betrayal and ambition, of forbidden love and devastating loss, and discovers that sometimes the only way to endure is to disappear.

1960s San Francisco
Marigold has always had a knack for uncovering secrets, but nothing prepares her for the day she accidentally witnesses her mother vanish before her eyes. The moment fractures their bond, leaving questions that shadow her entire childhood. But when her mother's condition suddenly deteriorates, Marigold is convinced she's the only person who can save her. To do so, she must journey into the secrets her mother never shared and uncover the tragic, fairytale-tinged history their family has fought to forget.

A story of mothers and daughters, the scars they inherit and the magic that binds them, Fishbone Cinderella is a tender and enchanting exploration of what it means, at last, to be seen.

★ "[Elizabeth Lim's] heart-wrenching and magical first adult novel is a multi-generational story that adapts a foundational fairy tale and creates a story of mothers, daughters, and a past that haunts their futures."--Library Journal (starred review)

Review Quotes

"Lim mines global folklore and modern history to weave an enchanting multigenerational tale."--People

"Elizabeth Lim's dazzling Fishbone Cinderella is an enthralling fairy tale traced against the richly evocative and lusciously detailed backdrop of Hong Kong and Berkeley in the 1940s and '60s, where uncertainty and love bloom. Thought-provoking and heartfelt, this book is a must-read for historical fiction fans."--Yangsze Choo, New York Times bestselling author of The Fox Wife

"Everything you want in a book--mothers and daughters bound by love and fracture; an aching, fate-twined romance; women carrying the weight of inherited magic; and a sweeping history that crosses borders and generations--Fishbone Cinderella by Elizabeth Lim is utterly
unforgettable."--Stacey Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl

"Lim dazzles in her dark and deftly woven adult debut. . . . Blending the historically grounded and complex mother-daughter narratives of Amy Tan with the rich fantasy of Yangsze Choo, this stunning tale will delight. . . . This is a gem."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"YA author Lim's (A Forgery of Fate) heart-wrenching and magical first adult novel is a multigenerational story that adapts a foundational fairy tale and creates a story of mothers, daughters, and a past that haunts their futures."--Library Journal, starred review

"Epic . . . The story within a story, the magical elements, and the deeply drawn characters make for an engaging read, but the genre-blending and portrayal of decades of family stories will broaden the book's appeal beyond fantasy fans."--Booklist, starred review

"Elizabeth Lim's Fishbone Cinderella is a haunting and poignant exploration of mother-daughter relationships, told through lush, gorgeous prose."--BookPage, starred review

About the Author