A mini review of Oil in the Wok by Yumin Ye ( @wyrdkismet )

Given that I generally don’t read hardly any books and those that do tempt me are predominantly Sci-fi or Fantasy the chances of me picking a story about the hopes, dreams and dramas of a teenage girl are pretty slim, but luckily for me the author of Oil in the Wok also writes on Xanga so despite my preconceptions I got hold of a copy and was happy to be pleasantly surprised.

Having spent quite sometime reading and enjoying Yumins blog I knew (no matter the content) that the writing style and mind behind it would be entertaining and intriguing but I didn’t expect this book to hold my attention quite as much as it did nor be as effective on my emotions, but by the time I got to the end of Oil in the Wok I was not only quite moved but also completely hooked on the life and dreams of its protagonist Amber Yang.

The story follows Amber through a short period of her young life during which her house becomes the hide away of teen pop diva Brooke Fulton, who for personal reasons wants nothing more than to turn off the lime light and become just another girl. But as if Brookes sudden appearance in Amber’s life wasn’t enough she’s also dealing with the collapse of her parents marriage, her own social meltdown with school friends and her desperate desire to somehow figure out not only who she is but also how to reach her dream goal of becoming a singer.

As a story it is well constructed and keeps you reading, despite nothing major happening it has a real life feel to it that makes it very easy to care for the characters and get wrapped up in the events.

The writing reminded me of a diary, but one written from the first perspective or perhaps even from within the thoughts of Amber. At times this can be frustrating because you find yourself just wanting to grab her and yell ‘STOP over analysing’ but this only adds to the sense of realism, especially when you realise just how much your own mind and thought processes mirror those of Ambers, always caught on the horns of some decision or other never knowing if you’ve made the right choice or even sometimes if a choice should be made at all.

For me this book really had nothing going for it other than me knowing the author’s blog but despite that it totally won me over and I think that’s pretty impressive. By the time you reach the final page I defy anyone not to be wishing Amber Yang the best of luck :)