Review - 'Vera' by Carol Edgarian

If I ever wondered how long it would take for the world to end, I know: forty-five seconds.

Vera is the illegitimate daughter of Rose, madam extraordinaire of San Francisco's most notorious bordello. At fifteen years old, she is sharp and resourceful, though the one thing she wants most but never had is a mother's unconditional love. When the 1906 earthquake hits and levels the entire city, Vera will need to reach deep within and gather all her wits and courage if she is to survive.

At its heart, Vera is a coming of age story, of a young girl thrust into an unrecognizable world, where everything she previously held dear and counted on is now no more. She must think on her feet, forge new relationships, and make impossible choices if she is to come out of it unscathed.

The writing is so sharp and vibrant. The characters, in particular Vera, come across interesting, fully-formed, and nuanced. The descriptions of San Francisco, both before and in the aftermath of the earthquake, were real and vivid, to the point where the devastated, burning landscape of the city was seared into my mind's eye. Edgarian's writing style pulled me in immediately, and I was swept away in this tale of resilience and courage.

On thing I didn't expect was the unflinching portrayal of racism against Chinese people during this time. As someone who is Chinese, I found it it really hard to read both the casual and systematic injustices they were forced to endure. I appreciated that the author didn't attempt to whitewash what happened, and instead incorporated it into the story. Even our main character Vera wasn't immune to the thinking of its time, which made her growth and her connection to Tan over time that much more satisfying to see.

This story surprised me in all the best ways. I normally don't gravitate towards character-driven, coming of age stories, thinking that they might be dull or uninteresting. But the narrative here was riveting, propelled forward by sharp writing and vividly-sketched characters facing catastrophe and making the best of it. It's the sort of book where I find myself reading sentences and paragraphs twice or thrice, just to experience them again. I honestly could not get enough.

Readaroo Rating: 4 stars