Red, White and Whole

Red, White and Whole has been on my wishlist for ever so long. I kept dithering. Would I enjoy the book? Would I not? I honestly wasn’t sure I wanted to read yet another immigration story. Yes, a sense of identity is important. Yes, many of us struggle with it; I know I do too. But the whole idea of being caught between two worlds is one I’ve read about a little too much.

Even so, I kept coming across people talking about this book, so I picked it up. I was prepared not to love it, even more so because I was surprised into liking In the Beautiful Country by Jane Kuo.

And yes, there were moments that I didn’t like–not because they were not well written, but because they seemed to be about the same things we’ve read before. Yet, as I turned the pages, I got sucked into the story. Even with the overarching themes that I didn’t want to read about, I found myself drawn into Reha’s world. The gentleness of the narrative, the very real sense of family love that shines through every page, and the metaphors woven into the story all made the book a fulfilling read.

Red, White and Whole refers to our blood. And blood binds the book. It’s blood that unites Reha to her Indian roots. Her mother examines blood in the laboratory. That’s her job. And when she gets leukaemia, it’s blood that threatens to make everything fall apart. Verse novels that use metaphors in powerful and surprising ways always win my heart. Red, White and Whole is a middle-grade verse novel that reminds me, again, of why I love verse novels so much.