Wiz Wharton’s title comes with a sting in its tail. “Ghost girl” is a literal translation of the Cantonese gwai-mui, a term still sometimes used to describe white girls, while “banana” (being yellow on the outside and white inside) refers to westernised Asians.
Ghost Girl, Banana sets out to confront family secrets forged by intergenerational shame and uprootedness. In 1966 Sook-Yin is forced by her family from Hong Kong to London to train as a nurse and send money home. Her immigrant life is a case study for Murphy’s law – anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time. Unable to find work, she becomes pregnant and goes on to marry blundering businessman Julian in misplaced hope, and to experience persistent racism.
