The Downstairs Girl Book Review

May 28

This book - The Downstairs Girl - was not on my radar at all. I hadn’t seen it on any must read lists and it had not popped up in the suggestions tab on Amazon. I have learned from personal experience though that some of the best books don’t seem to muster the accolades they deserve, at least not initially. Luckily, while waiting in line to buy another book at my neighborhood Barnes & Noble one day, I saw it near the register. Apart from the cover, what grabbed my attention was the mention that the story was about a young Chinese woman living in 1800’s Atlanta. I had never read such a story demonstrating the experiences of Asian Americans in the South during Reconstruction. That it was set in Atlanta specifically, the city where I have resided for twenty years made it too intriguing to resist buying. And let me you, I am so glad I went over my book budget that day! The Downstairs Girl has proven to be a delightful read.

Let’s get to the review, shall we!

The Review

The story is told from the point of view of Jo Quan, a talented, opinionated young Chinese woman. Hers was one of several endearing characters in the book. (Her grandfather, Old Gin; best friend, Phoebe and love interest, Nathan were others). Despite the restrictions placed on Chinese immigrants and even those born in the US, Jo fights to define her personal identity, have a voice and carve a place for herself in that world. Forms of creative expression such as writing and millinery enable her to do so. I liked how the author executed Jo Quan’s sense of agency, from showing how the idea to write an advice column came to Jo to how she articulates her views on controversial topics. This was all the more poignant considering the common perception that Asian people shy away from exposing their opinions about socio-political issues. Becoming a pseudonymous author allows Jo Quan to share her clear, strong opinions of societal issues pertaining to race, class and gender. While she enjoys the feeling of empowerment writing provides, she is constantly aware of how dangerous the endeavour is. Nonetheless, she continues because she believes that the rewards outweigh the risks. Just as much detail was given to Jo Quan’s hat-making artistry as to her writing. I pictured myself merrily observing Jo as she chose the materials and created each of her masterpieces. This was the aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most.

One thing that I would have liked to see more of is the friendship between Jo Quan and Phoebe, the black woman who works for the Payne family. It was apparent that Jo Quan and Phoebe shared several similarities. I liked seeing how they bonded over their experiences of racial injustice but also over both being daring (albeit within the confines of their environment). They were both keenly aware that the feminism white women wanted did not include the distinctive needs that women of colour had. It would have been nice for Jo Quan’s and Phoebe’s friendship to have been explored even more. After all, it’s not everyday one reads about relationships between Asian Americans and African Americans , especially in the 19th century South. Speaking of African Americans, my one real criticism of the book is that I don’t think enough was said about the experiences of blacks at that time. The period is one of the most significant periods in American history because not only was it the era that followed slavery, it was when white Southerners retaliated against the emancipation of slavery and changes in the constitution that were supposed to ensure more rights for black people. It was during that period that the Black Code, Jim Crow and the Klu Klux Klan were all birthed. I realize that the story’s focus was mainly the experiences of Chinese Americans and the author did touch on some of the Black Code’s restrictive practices but considering how significant the atrocities against African Americans were at this time, it seemed remiss of her to not pay more attention to these events.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I liked the book a lot. The pacing was perfect. The characters were believable - protagonists and villains alike. Stacey Lee’s use of language; description of the characters’ interests, personalities, attire and more made me feel like I was living among them. There were also enough surprises to hold me in anticipation from beginning to end. Although I thought there was a small amount of repitition with some details, I do think that Stacey Lee did a great job of laying out the relationships and characters’ stories. When she reveals huge, juicy pieces of information about Jo Quan’s family later in the story, I was stunned. They made me empathize with Jo Quan and her grandfather more. Furthermore, it intrigued me to see how Chinese people living in the South held unto their identity while navigating discrimination and Southern culture in general.

Finally, as someone who has called Atlanta my home away from home, I relished encountering places on the pages that I recognized. The Downstairs Girl made me feel like I was given a tour of my adopted city way back when it was even greener and more beautiful but would not have been friendly to people of colour. One major feat the author accomplished is that even though she raised heavy issues, she added a lot of lightness into the story by injecting humour, wit and lots of references to fun things like hat making and horse racing. I suspect that I’m still missing out some important bits in this review. Suffice it to say, I would read this book again in a heartbeat and can’t recommend it enough.

Have you read The Downstairs Girl? If so, what are your thoughts about it? Please let me know in the comment section below.