Yam Cake reviewed Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
A labour of love, but might not be for everyone
4 stars
If you didn't grow up with Chinese aunties, you might not be able to fully appreciate Meddy's challenges and why she feels like she can't just leave. If you didn't grow up with Chinese aunties, you might also not get why Big Aunt's formidable nature is at turns terrifying and reassuring. This book is a love letter to all the tough-as-nails, nosy and yes, meddlesome aunties who dominate the world of all Chinese children and make some grown-ups feel like kids again.
The family drama at the center of Dial A For Aunties ultimately springs from a case of well-intentioned catfishing, if such a thing even exists. This may turn some people off, either on account of it hitting TOO close to home or because they find themselves struggling to suspend disbelief while shouldering the weight of DAFA's ludicrousness. While this is not the most serious book, it does …
If you didn't grow up with Chinese aunties, you might not be able to fully appreciate Meddy's challenges and why she feels like she can't just leave. If you didn't grow up with Chinese aunties, you might also not get why Big Aunt's formidable nature is at turns terrifying and reassuring. This book is a love letter to all the tough-as-nails, nosy and yes, meddlesome aunties who dominate the world of all Chinese children and make some grown-ups feel like kids again.
The family drama at the center of Dial A For Aunties ultimately springs from a case of well-intentioned catfishing, if such a thing even exists. This may turn some people off, either on account of it hitting TOO close to home or because they find themselves struggling to suspend disbelief while shouldering the weight of DAFA's ludicrousness. While this is not the most serious book, it does have a consistent internal logic, which probably wouldn't be out of place in a Stephen Chow movie.
Though DAFA has romance elements, they're not particularly strong even if they are cheesy in a comforting if slightly nauseating way. Meddy's love interest is incredibly wholesome but also really bland. So is the secret romance which is revealed at the very end of the book. DAFA works best when it shows us how the aunties work together to fix the latest catastrophe, thanks to Meddy being a wonderful catalyst for disaster. That's where DAFA shines and personally, that's where the book peaked for me---when her aunties and Meddy first "meet" the ill-fated and lecherous man who sells cheap lilies. If there's a sequel, I might give it a miss if it's heavy on the romance but light on the aunties. (There's a potential here, for a more chaotic sort of mystery series that is the anti Rosemary & Thyme. Think Chinese aunties living in the Tenderloin accidentally becoming true crime celebrities after solving a murder, after many sleepless nights playing mahjong and supping on dim sum.)
PS Though I am delighted that DAFA is going to become a Netflix movie, I am still not pleased that The Wicked And The Willing is getting no such treatment.