Jade and Emerald

Jade and Emerald is a wonderful escape into the late 90s, a mood-lifter packed with cultural insights, which will induce binge-reading. - NADIA HEISLER, BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER

Perfect for fans of Alice Pung, Jade and Emerald introduces readers to an insightful new voice in Australian fiction. - BEN HUNTER, BOOKTOPIA, BEN'S PICK OF THE WEEK

Jade & Emerald gives insight to the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, influenced by culture, sexuality, and the universal desire to belong. Michelle See-Tho is an exciting arrival to Australia's literary landscape, and this book proves her prodigious talent as a storyteller. - ZOYA PATEL

Michelle See-Tho has achieved that near-impossible feat: a story that is both original and timeless. Here is a book that delights in contrasts, whether it be Gigi’s Chanel Number 5 perfume contrasted with the chicken stock smell of Lei Ling’s mother, or an indulgent afternoon tea at Melbourne’s finest hotel contrasted with the experience of wolfing down leftovers in a school toilet cubicle. I read the book greedily, eager to find out what happens next, while also keen to savour each delicious description. See-Tho tackles the big themes of family and sexuality and identity head on, without fear or hesitation, but at its heart, Jade and Emerald is a book about love—the love of a mother for a daughter, a daughter for a mother, and the love between great, if unlikely, friends. This is a remarkable debut from a highly skilled and wonderful Australian writer. - MELANIE CHENG