Bad Fruit

King’s unsettling debut follows 18-year-old Lily, who spends the summer at her parents’ home in Greenwich, England, before starting college at Oxford University. Lily seems to be the only one who can calm her Singaporean mother, May, whose behavior has become increasingly volatile and erratic. Lily’s father refuses to intervene, and her older brother and sister also remove themselves. As May becomes more fragile and demanding, Lily is plagued by disturbing visions—flashbacks from her mother’s life that contradict what May has told her about her childhood. Lily’s siblings are emotionally damaged by something from the past and cannot provide Lily with answers. As the situation worsens, Lily turns to Lewis, an Oxford professor who helps her gain the strength to uncover her family’s long-held secrets. King creates a tension-filled narrative of generational child abuse and its effects. Narrator Emily Woo Zeller delivers a strong, clear performance. Still, listeners may be disconcerted by her portrayal of Lily, who has a standard Midwestern American accent rather than a British accent like those of the rest of Lily’s family.