The Arches of Gerrard Street by Grace Chia || Review

 

The Arches of Gerrard Street by Grace Chia

Publisher: Penguin Books

Publication Date: May 11th, 2021

Genre: Fiction, Mystery

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Source: Thank you Times Read for the review copy in return for an honest review

Buy Links: Kinokuniya Malaysia

Rating 4.75★

Blurbs

The shooting of Molly's childhood friend in London's Chinatown has led her from Batu Pahat in Malaysia to the British capital to find answers. Who murdered him?
And why? She soon becomes embroiled in a web of deceit spun in an immigrant enclave shrouded in secrecy as her past catches up on her. The Arches of Gerrard Street is a coming-of-age novel about a young girl from a small town thrust into a big city finding her way back to herself.

Review

"My infatuation with him had been undiminished through the years. It's a curse, I know. Our mutual affection not balanced in reciprocity, or intensity."

The Arches of Gerrard Street is set in 2006 in which the murder of Donald happened that year at London's Chinatown. Molly and Donald is a childhood friend, they both always hanging out together and that is when Molly started to developed feeling toward Donald and get intimate with him. When Donald decided to further his studies in London , Molly when to Singapore to further her studies where she met another guy though she didn't has any feelings toward the new guy she met. Until, Molly received a news that Donald has been murdered and Donald's parents asked for help to find the truth behind the tragedy. Molly agreed to investigate hence she makes a decision to go to London. While she finding out the truth, there she met Mandy and Ee-Ling who each has their own story to tell.

This is not only a story about to finding out the truth behind the tragedy but it is also a story on migrant living in other countries to find work to improve their lives, the migrants who wants to work abroad and yet was treated badly by the agency who lies and manipulate them and been brought to London illegally. The story been told in each of their own point of view which bring us closer to know each of the characters better. The author bring us closer to the underlying world we may or may not realize we live in, what these people has to go through in their lives and the voices we can't heard because they have to stay silence so that they won't be punished.

Final verdict; The Arches of Gerrard Street is a story captures a lot of emotion and it is thought provoking read which I must say quite heavy per say but give us room to have a good discussion about it. I have to admit this by far one of the hardest book to review but I seriously like this book and I get what it is but to convey it here is a struggle one. My point is you need to read and you will know how I feel about this book. By saying that, I recommend you to read The Arches of Gerrard Street by Grace Chia. One of the best book in 2021.