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Chans, Chaos, Culture, Cozy, and all other Cs
- Jhanya&Ria's Corner
- Jul 23, 2022
- 8 min read
“The woman really needs to get her priorities straight.” – Medeline Chan
Dial A For Aunties
Jesse Q. Sutanto
Amazon Kindle, Audible
27 April 2021
299 Pages
Synopsis:
What happens when you mix 1 (accidental) murder with 2 thousand wedding guests, and then toss in a possible curse on 3 generations of an immigrant Chinese-Indonesian family?
You get 4 meddling Asian aunties coming to the rescue!
When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"
Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!
"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers.
But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?
Table of Contents:
First Impressions
Jhanya: This book, in a word, is chaotic. And that’s an understatement, to be honest. Dial A for Aunties is as over-the-top as an Asian culture-centered book can get. Since this book has been on my to-read list since it was published last year, and I only got to read it this week, I forgot about the synopsis and was absolutely shocked when Meddy accidentally killed her blind date. But, let’s talk more about that later.
Ria: I literally had no idea what this whole book was about going into it. I didn’t even read the synopsis. I knew it had Asian representation, and honestly, the cover caught my attention. The title also made me think of my own Chinese culture because auntieeeeeee.
Story + Pacing
Ria: The plot was… interesting. It was definitely chaotic, all over the place, and very much over-exaggerated, but in a good way. I mean, SURE, nothing in this book will ever happen in real life, but that’s what’s great about the story. While reading, I was so incredulous and confused because I had no clue how everything was just happening. Everything sort of happened individually but had little transition and when placed together has you feeling “????”. But it’s obvious that it’s intentional. And of course, I do love a good escapism story. The whole story was also super fast-paced which fit well with the mystery. It kept readers in and not bored.
Jhanya: I can’t even count the number of times I said “What?” and looked at my tablet confused while reading this book. When you think that the story was crazy enough, it gets even crazier and more ridiculous with every individual scene. Looking back, I wouldn’t think all the subplots are part of one, cohesive story if anyone told me about it in passing. The story just slapped me with mystery, comedy, romance, satire, culture, and fun in 3 hours of reading and it wasn’t a bad thing. I don't think anyone would get bored from reading from the accidental killings, hiding away bodies, sudden make-out sessions, and other wedding traditions.
This is a book that the reader shouldn’t take seriously if they want to enjoy it to its fullest, satirical potential (and if you don’t want to be offended as an Asian, lmao). I’m not even kidding. All the aunties represent a part of Asian culture but in their most exaggerated and overbearing forms because filial piety and sticking to family traditions are an Asian’s highest priorities in life. Everything is so over-the-top and unrealistic in Dial A For Aunties that even our main character, Meddy, thinks so at some point in the book.
Writing Style
Ria: The writing was pretty great for me. It pulled me in and showed an outstanding balance of serious and comedic moments. The caricature was also done very well, and all the chaotic moments were pretty great. I was able to get through the whole book really quickly, which shocked me because this isn’t a typical book that I would read because of how unserious it was, but the last few episodes had me on hold because I really just wanted to know more of how Meddy and the four chaotic aunties would solve this whole disaster. The writing was definitely a huge factor because the plot wasn’t something I really really loved.
Jhanya: I’m so glad the writing held up for the incredulous storyline of the book. Sutanto merged everything that happened into one fun book, and I’m thankful that she made it possible. I also liked how the story was fast-paced, making it easier to consume as a whole and keeping the reader hooked from the beginning. Sure it gets super unrealistic, but that’s the point of the book, and Sutanto’s writing pulled it off splendidly.
Characters
Ria: I wouldn’t say this book had much character depth or fleshing out. The only character I actually felt had more depth to them was Meddy, and only by a little. Everyone else is pretty much one-dimensional and had one main character. And at the start, this was a problem for me, but later on, it became such a great source of comedic relief, and given the nature of the story, this was obviously intended.
Jhanya: Similar to the story, all the characters in this book are also over the top. I agree with Ria that all the characters, other than Meddy, were one-dimensional stereotypes of Asian representations x1000 and it was very entertaining to see. Now, let’s talk about each of them.
Ria: First, Medeline Chan, our main character and narrator. College Meddy wasn’t someone I liked at all. She was immature and I definitely don’t agree with most of her choices. (College Nathan deserved better). I do understand though, that because this is the first time she’s been more independent or essentially away from her aunties, she’ll really be making a lot of mistakes and experiencing independence by making mistakes.
However, adult Meddy is someone I came to love. She tried her hardest to really start to stand up for herself and as a daughter in a Chinese family, I related a lot to her thoughts as an adult and the pressure of staying within the family and always pleasing her parents. The culture and her thoughts about their culture are very similar to mine – especially filial piety (although, of course, the book is highly, HIGHLY exaggerated). She wants to finally be independent and venture out on her own, but at the same time, her apprehension to do so is super relatable for me. I did love that scene she finally stood up for herself. That was golden.
Jhanya: Meddy has to be the most dutiful Asian character I have seen in literary fiction. She had so much filial piety to a point that she became a pushover. I do understand her situation though. She was the only remaining child of one of the aunties that chose to stay with them while all of her cousins moved away the moment they were able to so the pressure she felt to stay with the aunties and her mom would’ve been heavy even though they don’t say it directly. I also really related to her character a lot of times, but ofc in a more realistic and less chaotic way. When she said “Ah, filial piety, the foundation of Asian parenting.” I reacted a bit too loudly LOL. In a less serious note though, Meddy’s character was so horny throughout the book, especially after she saw Nathan hahaha.
Ria: The aunties were an over-exaggerated caricature. For me, they were a bit too overdone but they made me laugh with all the incredulity I felt with their actions.
Big Aunt
I like her sense of superiority and I think her character portrayed that well. Asian culture really values the eldest (for Chinese, the golden eldest is if the firstborn is a boy). And her stepping up and everyone wanting her approval was executed well.
Second Aunt
Out of everyone, her character felt most caricature-like, to me. Honestly, all she did in the book was tai chi.
Third Aunt / Mom
I would’ve loved more from Mom!!! I think her relationship with Meddy could’ve been fleshed out a lot more and how Meddy has found this a bit restraining on her can be shown more. It would’ve helped explain better the difference between Asian culture and explain more of Meddy’s musings and thoughts. I love how Meddy is able to see her mom’s reactions just from looks because I do too 🤧
Fourth Aunt
Fourth Aunt represents those who have fully immersed themselves into the Western culture. She embodies those who wish to leave behind Asian culture and somewhat just change into a different culture. But it shows how you can’t leave any part of yourself behind anymore. The original you will always be a part of you and you’ll only have to embrace it and also the new culture you learned.
Jhanya: I think Ria summed up our super aunties well enough that I don’t really have anything more to add. And I do agree with her that they can get a bit too much, but I understand that that’s the point the author is trying to convey.
Ria: And now, Nathan. He was probably the most one-dimensional character in the whole book. And he didn’t really serve many purposes? He was really just there just so a very very slight romance plot can be added in. (by the way, don’t rely on the romance at all.)
Jhanya: On the other hand, even though Nathan didn’t seem too big of a character in the story, I like to think that he helped Meddy push herself to pursue her dreams and break out of her shell. Meddy may have decided all of it on her own, but he was sort of like a catalyst that motivated her to take the next step. Sure, his pining for Meddy was overdone and unrealistic, but at least he was loyal hahaha
Ria: Similarly, the supporting characters were just added for some added minor plots and for more comedy. Maureen and Jacqueline’s side plot was sort of a cute add but kind of unnecessary for me.
Final Thoughts
Ria: Overall, this book was just a lot of fun. It really isn’t something you should take super seriously. This book is just pure laughter, confusion, incredulity, caricature, and unhinged chaos all in one with a sprinkle of Asian culture. Probably would recommend this if you’re looking for a light story that’ll make you laugh. Read if you’re looking just to get away from life. (and btw, don’t take anything too seriously).
Jhanya: At the end of it all, I’m just happy that I was in the right mood to read Dial A for Aunties. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t like the book as much as I do now. For a debut novel though, I salute Sutanto for being able to pull off such an all-over-the-place book in the most fun way while still incorporating Indo-Chinese cultures into the mix.
I wouldn’t recommend this book if you’re looking for a book with proper and serious representation of Asian culture, but I HIGHLY recommend for everyone to read it if you’re simply looking for a light and fun read with some spicing hot tea on the side.
Rating
Criteria | Jhanya | Ria |
|---|---|---|
Story / Plot (2) | 1.25 | 1.25 |
Characters (2) | 1.25 | 1.25 |
Writing (2) | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Morale (1) | 0.5 | 1 |
Originality (1) | 0.75 | 1 |
Relevance (1) | 0.5 | 0.75 |
Reread Value (1) | 0.25 | 0.75 |
TOTAL | 6 | 7.5 |
Final Score | 6.75 | |
FINAL RATING:
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