THE ORIGINAL DAUGHTER transports us to 2015, to Singapore. The novel opens with a mother on her deathbed, with one daughter next to her asking to speak to the other.
From there, we jump back to 1996 and learn about the sisters. We discover the girls are only a year apart and no longer speaking. And we discover that Arin was brought into their lives when she was seven years old as the product of her grandfather’s secret life in Malayasia.
Arin disrupts everything in Genevieve’s life - in good ways and bad ways. We learn about how the girls learn to love each other and depend each other.
As they grow up, money is tight. Desperation is high. They work hard for a way out together - until their futures diverge. Genevieve cracks under the weight and pressure of the Singaporean educational system while Arin soars. In the end, one sister betrays the other in order to get ahead - or does she?
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