Sylvie Lee

Sylvie Lee is a 33-year-old woman. She is of Chinese descent, and she has dual American-Dutch nationality. She is Ma’s oldest daughter. At the beginning of the novel, the narrative states that Sylvie is the daughter of Ma and Pa and is the sister of Amy. However, the novel’s climax reveals that Sylvie is actually the illegitimate daughter of Ma and Willem. From infancy to age 9, Sylvie lived with the Tan family in Holland, as the Lee family did not have the resources to raise her. Sylvie is a consistent overachiever. She has an MBA degree from Harvard and is a successful business management consultant.

When Grandma’s health starts to decline, Sylvie goes to the Netherlands to visit her. By this point, Sylvie’s marriage has all but disintegrated, and she has lost her job, but she keeps these pieces of information secret from...