Unpolished Gem is a memoir about growing up in an Asian family in Australia. Alice Pung’s Chinese Cambodian parents fled the killing fields of Cambodia under Pol Pot and arrived in Australia one month before her birth. Her father named her after the little girl in Alice in Wonderland as he thought this new country was indeed a Wonderland.

The story begins with Alice’s childhood, growing up in 1970s Melbourne. Some parts of the story take us back to her parents’ and grandparents’ lives in Cambodia. Although the book is written in the first person it takes the form of an omniscient narrator. Pung provides insight into the lives of Chinese-Cambodian families and also the experience of growing up Asian in Australia. She feels trapped by the protectiveness and expectation of her family, while struggling to fit in with the wider community of Australia. There are some heartbreaking images of her mother grappling with English in an attempt to maintain her work-life and some sense of self worth, and the isolation that not speaking the language creates. Although Pung uses wit and humour to maintain a light tone, it felt slightly odd, as though in some way the Australian teenager is poking fun at her Chinese family. The book seems to focus very strongly on the idiosyncrasies, high expectations and controlling nature of the family without much warmth or positivity in the storytelling-other than Alice’s connection to her grandmother-to balance this out.

Alice’s internal dialogue about her relationship with her boyfriend is also full of angst and insecurity, made worse by her feelings of otherness, and questions about why he is attracted to her. “I wanted to know whether it was only because I was 'exotic' and if so, what that word meant to him. If he told me he liked my almond eyes and caramel skin, I would tell him to buy a bag of confectionery instead, because I was sick of it all-how we always had to have hair like a black waterfall, alabaster or porcelain skin, and some body part or other resembling a peach."

Overall I enjoyed the book, but I can see that the writing is erratic at points, with some odd similes, variable pacing and an ending that felt rushed. Nevertheless I enjoyed the insights shared. ( )

Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung

I may have dived too deeply into Alice Pung’s writing - this is my third in a few weeks.

Unlike Laurinda and 100 Days, both taking the form of first person letters with the attendant immediacy, this is written by an observer narrator, retelling family history.

I enjoyed this book after initial resistance. I think the use of first person for stages the narrator was not present for, having been already present earlier in the book, confused me a little.

I found it well written, interesting, complex and moving. That said, I doubt I’ll revisit Alice Pung for a while, after three in a brief time.

What follows contains spoilers so read on at your peril.

Certainly there is plenty of cultural interest. As I write this, I am hearing tales of a young girl called “Little Brother.” This cross-gender nomenclature is unrelated to gender dysphoria and entirely to a frustration by parents unable to give birth to a son. (Until they eventually do.)

There is a considerable section of the book dealing with Alice’s mother’s struggles with depression and trying to find a new way of being useful after she can no longer work making jewellery because she now lacks the fine motor skills for the work, and her frustrations with her inadequate English and computer skills.

She is also caught up within cultural constraints and keeping up appearances.

I found this very moving, and thought with greater admiration than perhaps ever before, of my mother’s similar struggles with mental health (PTSD - not that the term existed then) and language and role. And 35 years of widowed life.

Then, the author turns to herself and her own depression. Having backgrounded her life so well, it is not quite a shock when the book takes this turn. Raw. Sensitive. Honest. Her praise for a friend who stuck by her persistently through this time was also moving. I’ve had friends like this for me, and hope I have been like that for at least some of mine.

And then, after a highly successful Year 12, she returns to work in the family business, dealing among other tasks, with the desire of a Filipino woman seeking a mobile phone because her husband is violent and brings his friends around to “do her over,” but she does not qualify at the phone company for a connection. Telstra must love that product placement, I think, as I feel tears welling.

And the parade of sad and lonely people who frequent the store.

I’ve previously heard of “coconut” and “watermelon” as fruits to designate a type of person. Now came “banana children” - those born yellow who think they can grow up white. Interesting.

And to the final section - first date and developing relationship within the complexities of differing cultures and social and sexual inexperience on both sides. A lot of internalised conversation - talking to herself for both sides of the conversation, before articulating what is actually said. And then, it all ends.

Apart from the parable of the Easter chocolate goodies. ( )

Ein ausgesprochen schönes Frauenbach aus der roten Reihe der Edition fünf.
Die chinesisch-stämmige Familie der Ich-Erzählerin Alice ist vor dem Pol Pot Regime im Kambodscha nach Australien geflohen. Als Einwanderer dort möchte ihre Familie alles richtig machen und dennoch die eigenen Werte nicht aufgeben. Mehr noch als ihre Eltern und die Großmutter ist Alice aufgerieben zwischen absoluter Anpassung und Selbstbehauptung. Von frühster Kindheit an steht sie zwischen Stühlen - zwischen Mutter und Großmutter, später dann zwischen Australien und der kambodschanisch-chinesischen Kultur.
Das Buch behandelt ein hoch interessantes, aktuelles Thema, und doch hat die Sprache eine Leichtigkeit, die den Lesefluss zu einem Vergnügen werden lässt. Ich habe dieses Buch sehr gern gelesen und denke viel darüber nach. ( )

Alice Pung has a vivid, direct, immediate prose style with great rhythm, and she compellingly brings to life her Chinese Cambodian family in their transition to life in Australia. She writes crisply and honestly about the joys and pains of living as an immigrant in Australia, as the family go through several shifts, and doesn't flinch from some of the harder material (depression and disappointment) but remains compassionate and balanced. Very enjoyable. ( )

A really nicely told and fresh story about the challenges faced by one family of former Cambodian/Chinees refugees who build their new life in Australia. Alice covers unique cultural mores around family, money, work, aspirations, affluence, education and cross-cultural romance. I was particularly touched by her personal challenges in her final months of school study and waiting on her results. My one real frustration was when she was describing the conversations in her head during the early stages of her first relationship with a boy - whilst I was empathetic, it became really irritating, but a very criticism in what is otherwise a very enjoyable memoir. I hope there's a follow-up because I'm pretty sure she's now in her mid-30's and I'd really like to hear how she navigated her family's (in particular her mother) dreams for her along with her emerging individualism and maturity. ( )