Inspired by our recent Book Club article, the editors at Bas Bleu decided it was time to compile a book club guide of our own! Our new series will recommend novels handpicked by Bas Bleu, sharing our editor’s review, questions to prompt thoughtful book club discussions, recipes inspired by elements of the book, and activities to provoke increased connection with the text and each other. Want to request a book be featured in our Book Club Series? Contact us here!
The Review
Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
When Amy and Sylvie's grandmother falls ill, Sylvie returns to Holland, where she was raised. But when their grandmother dies, Sylvie disappears, and Amy is left to untangle the mess. On the way, she unearths painful secrets her sister was hiding, and discovers more questions where she expected to find answers. A poignant story rich with Chinese, Dutch, Italian, and American culture, Searching for Sylvie Lee explores the long-lasting effects of our upbringing and the dark repercussions of family secrets. (RR)
The Discussion Questions
How do the members of the Lee family deal with being measured against stereotypes, language barriers and others' perceptions? Have you ever felt like an outsider?
Discuss the relationship between Amy and Sylvie. How do the siblings both understand and mystify each other?
How is this immigrant family like others you've seen or read about? What about their experiences do you think are universal or unique?
How does Jean Kwok represent the different languages in each chapter? Did any idioms or word choices surprise you or make you think? Why do you think Kwok chose to depict language this way?
This novel says a great deal about the influence our families can have on us. How did Amy’s and Sylvie’s different upbringings shape them and their choices? What about your own upbringing strongly influenced who you are today?
Did your perception of Ma change when you read her chapters? How did she appear through other’s eyes in comparison to how she sees herself? Do you think others see you the way you really are?
Do you think any of the characters in the novel are reliable narrators? Can any narrator be truly reliable, or are we all colored by our perceptions and misunderstandings?
What is the price of the American dream? Who pays for it? How does the lifestyle in Europe compare?
Amy and Sylvie perceive the Netherlands differently. How do their impressions of the landscape and the people—especially Filip and Lukas— demonstrate their own characters?
Has reading this novel deepened your understanding of the implications of casual racism, even toward well-integrated people? Did any instances in the novel surprise you? Have you ever encountered situations like this in your life?
Different men love Sylvie in this novel. How did their love differ, and why?
Why do you think Helena resented Sylvie? How deserved do you think it was?
There are so many secrets that the characters keep to themselves. What do you wish they had shared with each other, and how might this have changed the plot? Are secrets always bad, or are they sometimes necessary? Have you ever kept secrets from people you loved?
Do you think the novel’s title, "Searching for Sylvie Lee," has multiple meanings?
The Recipes
While Amy is staying in the Netherlands with Helena and Willem, she gets to try all types of Asian cuisine.
Yesterday, we all sat around the table for lunch. They served an Indonesian rijsttafel, composed of fried rice and Indonesian yellow rice and forty smaller dishes: chicken coconut curry, hard-boiled eggs in chili sauce, duck roasted in banana leaves, aromatic caramelized beef in spicy coconut milk, and more. Although I didn’t have much of an appetite, it was one of the best meals I’d ever tasted. Maybe later, after Sylvie was safely home, I would ask them for the recipes.
Make your own Rijsttafel
Serves 8
2 3-lb roasting chickens, skinned and cubed (reserve livers and hearts)
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
4 onions, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 pint chicken stock
1 cucumber, sliced 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons currants
salt & pepper, for seasoning
Heat the oil in a large pan and stir in the curry powder, add the chicken and brown it.
Add the onions, garlic, peppers, ginger and turmeric. Fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken livers and hearts to the pan with the currants, cover with the stock. Cook till the meat is tender.
Add the cucumber and lemon juice, cook till the cucumber is tender.
In a small pan mix the flour and milk together, to make a paste. Strain the cooking liquid from the chicken onto the flour/milk mix and cook till thickened. If the mix is too thick, add a little milk.
Add this to the chicken.
Stir to combine the chicken and vegetables with the thickened stock and cook on low heat for 5 minutes.
Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with fried rice.
After Amy first meets Filip, he orders for her at an outdoor café.
I distract myself by pretending I am fascinated with my food. It does look delicious. My generous slice of appeltaart is made with thick, cakey, moist dough still crispy around the edges. The apples have been sliced thinly and layered with raisins. A dollop of freshly whipped cream accompanies the dish.
Make your own Dutch Apple Tart
Serves 8
Pastry Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten, divided
⅓ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
2 pounds tart apples - peeled, cored, and sliced
½ cup sultana raisins
¼ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan.
Combine flour, butter, 1 1/2 egg, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a large bowl. Knead by hand to form a smooth, consistent dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out 3/4 of the dough into a 10-inch circle; press over the bottom and sides of the prepared cake pan.
Mix apples, sultanas, 1/4 cup white sugar, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon together in a bowl. Spread over the dough in the cake pan.
Roll out remaining dough into a circle; cut into strips about 1/3-inch wide. Form an X in the center of the tart with the 2 longest strips. Create a lattice by weaving vertical and horizontal strips in an over-and-under pattern, using the shortest strips for the edges. Press ends of the strips firmly to the edge of the tart; trim excess dough with a knife.
Brush remaining beaten egg over the dough.
Bake in the preheated oven until pastry is light brown, 60 to 65 minutes.
For Sylvie’s birthday, Lukas, Estelle, and Filip go to a Venetian restaurant at the tip of Italy’s Grand Canal.
I took a bit of my tagliatelle with artichokes and pecorino and sighed; the sharpness of the cheese highlighted the silkiness of the pasta. “This is so good, as delicious as an angel peeing on your tongue.”
Make your own Tagliatelle with Artichokes and Pecorino
Serves 4
4 large artichokes
1 lemon
1 onion, peeled and sliced
6 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for frying the garnish
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely diced
salt
white wine
black pepper
400g pasta – tagliatelle or fettuccine
50g pecorino, grated
Trim the artichokes by pulling the tougher outer leaves downwards and snapping them off just below the base. Then, using a sharp knife, pare away the tough green flesh from the base of the artichoke and stem. As you work, rub the artichoke with lemon. Cut three of the artichokes into eight wedges, then sit the wedges and the remaining whole one in a bowl of water with some lemon juice squeezed in.
Bring a large pan of water to a boil for the pasta.
In a large, deep frying or saucepan with a lid, fry the onion in the olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, stir, then add the drained artichoke wedges, a pinch of salt and stir until all the wedges glisten. Add a glass of white wine, cover the pan and cook, covered, over a low flame for 30 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender. If the pan looks dry, add a little more wine or water.
Remove half the artichokes from the pan, blend to a cream, then return to the pan. Add salt, if needed, and add few grinds of black pepper.
Slice the remaining artichoke into thin slices and fry in olive oil until deep gold and crisp. Lift out with slotted spoon and blot on kitchen towel.
Add salt to the boiling water, stir, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, saving some of the cooking water.
Tip the pasta into the artichoke cream pan, add half the pecorino, a slosh of pasta cooking water and toss everything together. Divide between bowls and top each portion with the remaining pecorino and a scattering of fried artichoke.
The Activities
Map out Sylvie and Amy’s travels. See how many landmarks you can pick out from the book that actually exist.
Host a small stringed quartet. Savor the sounds of the cello as Filip might.
Plan your own trip to Italy or the Netherlands (without the mysterious drama). Really channel your inner travel agent. For longer meetings, fill more time by scrapbooking your “travels.” Print pictures from the Internet of the hotels, restaurants, and sights that would make up your dream trip.
Share your own familial traditions with the group. Find renewed appreciation for the cultural melting pot that exists in every corner of America.
Write your own generational short stories. Tell the story of your family from your perspective, your mother’s perspective, and your grandmother’s perspective. What factors differentiate your experiences?