Emily Of Emerald Hill

Review of Emily of Emerald Hill

This book discusses about Emily, from a Peranakan family. The writer, Stella Kon, uses a one person style to write this play. In it, Emily is the main character. She rules over people and dominates them. She is the matriarch of the family. Yet actually, behind all those fronts, she is not what she seems to be. She wants love and respect, but she did not get it from her children nor her husband. They fear her, submit to her, yet they do not love her. She wants status, both in her family, which includes all the brothers and sisters -in -law, parents -in -law and nephews and nieces and gets it by ingratiating her parents-in-law. However, behind all that she is scared. Most of all, she is lonely. This book is rather realistic. It portrays real people, who is complex and have more that 1 side to their nature. I like it because there are many things to be read between the lines. It goes back and forward in time and tells us of different times of Emily's life, not like the usual style of books. Overall, I rather liked the book as it tells us of time past, when Singapore is still at its construction age.