Carrie Stanton, a regular book reviewer for The Miramichi Reader, says THE FAMILY CODE is a “superb page-turner”
Carrie is the author of The Jewel and Beast Bot, and picture books, Emmie and the Fierce Dragon and The Gardener. She loves to write stories that grow wings and transport readers everywhere.
Carrie Stanton’s review is reproduced below from her Instagram @wordinkltd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Family Code by Wayne Ng, Reviewed by Carrie Stanton
THE FAMILY CODE by Wayne Ng is a novel but all of it could be true, likely is true, is possibly going on right now. The story is about Hannah, who had a violent home life so her skills when she tries to mother her children are severely lacking.
But the love is there, no question. The story is told in alternating chapters by Hannah and her young son Axel. We soon learn that Hannah’s childhood is filled with abuse from both parents, her brutal, controlling father and her quiet, don’t-make-waves, mother. In order to get along within this environment, Hannah understands the family code of allegiance and compliance; silence, no matter how painful.
In the back of my mind, I think about the possibility of liking a story when I don’t love the main character. But, these pages turn so fast, and I am completely engrossed in the fabric of Hannah and Axel. The character development and story spin is enveloping right from the beginning. The dialogue is absolutely spot-on in both an adult’s voice and also in a child’s. It is real, with every sentence as though I am listening to the characters speak to me.
Whether it is the parents, Hannah, young Axel, friends along the way, or those inside the system, each one holds their own distinctive, clear voice. The feelings that came over me when reading made it clear this is written with extensive care, expert knowledge of the subject matter, and creative plotting to the max. In other words, author Wayne Ng delivers! The Family Code held me tight until the very end. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author and urge readers to pick up a copy of this superb page-turner.
![[Image Description: An orange event promotional graphic with three images, text and two logos. The text reads: "Vancouver Launch / Friday September 15 at 6pm, The Family Code by Wayne Ng + Discussion on writing beyond immigrant tropes, hosted by Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho. Massy Arts Society, 23 East Pender Street, Vancouver, Canada. The images are the book cover for The Family Code and two headshots, one each for Wayne and Wiley. There is a Massy Voices logo and a Funded by the Government of Canada logo.]](https://waynengwrites.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Massy-Arts-Society-150x150.jpg)
