Lei Ling Wen is lonely. Exhausted by her relentless schedule of tuition, study and violin lessons, she struggles to connect with her strict Chinese-Malaysian mother and longs for something more than the narrow routine of her daily life.
When she befriends the elegant and worldly socialite Gigi Nu, Lei Ling is dazzled by the glamour and freedom that suddenly open up before her. Gigi encourages her to break away from her routines, treating her to designer goods, lavish meals and a life that feels thrillingly different from the one she knows. Soon, Lei Ling finds herself caught between two worlds, increasingly at odds with her frustrated mother.
But when tragedy strikes, long-buried secrets begin to surface. Forced to confront uncomfortable truths, Lei Ling starts to question everything she believed about the two most important women in her life and the friendship she once held so dear.
Jade and Emerald is a powerful coming-of-age novel about identity, family and the complicated journey of understanding who you are and where you belong.