A generational saga

THIS is Shirley Fung’s first attempt at writing a novel. She has previously written and published eight books on the subjects of biology and environmental science.

In a recent email interview, Fung says her debut novel, Second Chinese Daughter, is inspired by stories she heard as a child.
Fung, who was born in Malaysia but currently resides in Australia, recalls eavesdropping on the conversations around the dinner table.
“My grandmother and mother told many stories about their own hardships, and those of other women in their time. In all their stories, there were repeating themes about the hostile treatment and violence against women.
“I believe these are stories that need to be told, because they are issues still faced by the women of today.
“I chose the title, Second Chinese Daughter, because ‘second’ describes the position of the main character, Feng, who is the second daughter in her family. I also used the word ‘second’ to depict the lowly place of women as second class citizens in society.”
Fung admits to having to rely on her memory of the events, as she did not keep a diary or journal.
“I have tried to relate them as accurately as I can, but where there are lapses, I have filled the gaps with fiction that I feel can plausibly connect the factual parts into a seamless narrative.
“That is why I have chosen to describe my novel as ‘faction’ – a blend of fact and fiction.”
Asked if writing her first novel was daunting in any way, she replies: “Writing a novel is very different from, and more challenging than, writing textbooks.
“When I write textbooks, my main focus would be on the accuracy of information, and the rigid repeating format of chapters and paragraphs.
“There is much more to consider in a novel – the message I want to get across, deciding on the characters and when they should appear in the narrative, the interaction and tension between the characters.
“I discovered that even if I had a plan to follow, my plan changed as the story progressed, and I often had to change direction.”
Fung says that she began work on Second Chinese Daughter in 2012, setting aside two hours in the morning to write.
“There were days when I wrote for hours and hours, and other days [where] I only managed a couple of sentences in two hours, but the days of minimal writing were few.”
Having disciplined herself to write every day, she completed her manuscript in eight months.
“When I read it over, I felt there was something not quite right about it. I wrote [it] as a first person narrative, and was uncomfortable to see the pages peppered with ‘I’ and ‘me’.
“Since some of the stories were about my own life experiences, I felt too publicly exposed.”
She shelved the manuscript until 2016, when she decided to rewrite the story from the viewpoint of a third person.
“It took me a few months to rewrite, and when this second draft was completed, I held on to it until my sister phoned me one day to ask what I had done with it. I said nothing.
“It was then that she decided to find me the email address of a publisher. I sent my manuscript to MPH, [which] offered to publish my novel.”
Second Chinese Daughter begins with the birth of Feng, and how her mother Li Li wants to give her up for adoption against the wishes of her grandmother, Ah Soo.
The story is told from the perspective of first Ah Soo, followed by Li Li, and then Feng who was supposed to have been given away to a wealthy couple. 
“The book is about every woman’s story,” says Fung. “I wanted to depict the hardship faced by women from one generation to the next.
“By writing about three generations, I am able to show that the issues faced by women are recurring to this day. I would not be able to faithfully represent these issues by just focusing on one character, Feng.”
Fung says she was motivated to write about gender inequality within families as well as in our societies, because of her own experiences, and that of other women that she knows of.
Asked what she hopes people will take away with them when they read Second Chinese Daughter, Fung says: “Although this narrative is about the injustices towards women, I hope that it will alert people to play an active part in setting right these injustices, not only towards women, but also towards marginalised minority groups that may not have a voice to speak up for themselves.”
Fung will be present at the official launch of her book, Second Chinese Daughter, at MPH Bookstore 1 Utama this Saturday at 11am.