Author Description

"Xing Li is what the Chinese call a banana - yellow on the outside and white on the inside. Although born and raised in London, she never feels like she fits in. When her mother dies, she moves with her older brother to live with her venomous Grandma, a schizophrenic Uncle Ho and Hollywood actress Auntie Mei. And then Xing Li's life takes an even harsher turn: her brother is arrested and disappears, her uncle requests she assist him in an unthinkable favour and the school bullying escalates to horrific proportions. Her happy childhood becomes a distant memory as her new life is infiltrated with the harsh reality that comes with adolescence. Consumed by secrets, violence and confusing family relations, Xing Li tries to find hope wherever she can and her only friend is a mixed raced Jamaican boy with a passion for classical music. She realises that in order to find her own identity, she must first discover what it means to be both Chinese and British"--Back cover