Dial A for Aunties

A raucously funny romcom that just kept on giving, with surprises around every corner, a romance to get invested in and a Chinese/Indonesian family to keep you laughing on every page. Everything about this book was great. It’s a quick, easy read with a satisfying ending and a quick witted, delightfully relatable main character. Sutanto’s debut novel is told from the perspective of first generation Chinese / American Meddie Cheng, as she navigates *spoiler accidentally killing her blind date, whilst her mother and meddling aunties try to hide the body and host a wedding with 2,000 wedding guests all at the same time. I mean, what a plot line.

Whilst on the surface the murder-mystery / romantic comedy narrative threads are fast paced entertainment, Sutanto also manages a skilful deep-dive into mother/daughter relationships, especially in context of Chinese/Indo families where traditional values clash with Californian lifestyles. The structure of the book also worked really well, with flashbacks allowing for character build-up without distracting from the main kernals of the story.

I was actually laughing out loud at the mistranslations, the just-when-you-think-it-can’t-get-anymore-ridiculous-it-does moments; the generational commentary and the audible eye rolling. It’s light hearted black comedy, an absolutely perfect holiday read. I really, really hope they make it into a film. It was highly recommended on bookstagram and I second that opinion!