Longlisted for Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
Xing Li is what some Chinese people call a banana - yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Although born and raised in London, she never feels like she fits in. When her mother dies, she moves with her older brother to live with venomous Grandma, strange Uncle Ho and Hollywood actress Auntie Mei. Her only friend is Jay - a mixed raced Jamaican boy with a passion for classical music.
Then Xing Li's life takes an even harsher turn: the school bullying escalates and her uncle requests she assist him in an unthinkable favour. Her happy childhood becomes a distant memory as her new life is infiltrated with the harsh reality of being an ethnic minority.
Consumed by secrets, violence and confusing family relations, Xing Li tries to find hope wherever she can. In order to find her own identity, she must first discover what it means to be both Chinese and British.
PP Wong has delivered a unique and realistic young adult drama that is bursting with original content style and emotion.
The Life of a Banana by PP Wong
PP Wong is a screenwriter, author and editor. She was born during a very cold winter in London and her fondest memory is trudging through shoulder height snow. Her parents are from Singapore.
PP's debut novel The Life of a Banana was longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and highly rated in many publications including The Guardian, The Independent, Corriere Della Sera, The Straits Times, Bangkok Post and Vanity Fair.