NOW YOU SEE US

Now You See Us is the moving story of three Filipina domestic workers in Singapore, who become consumed with solving a murder mystery focused on one of their own. Donita is a young woman whose budding love affair is countered by her suffering at the hands of a malicious boss. Angel is nursing a broken heart, and the fear she is being replaced by her employers. And Cora is an intensely private worker grappling with grief - and a secret that threatens to undo her carefully constructed life in Singapore. Connected by a chance encounter, they are part of an unseen population of women struggling to find dignity, respect and connection far away from home.
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From the beleaguered The Help to the snarky Such A Fun Age, complex relationships between domestic workers and their employers make for fascinating reading. What set this book apart for me were the cultural disparities and social hierarchy in Singapore, with an invisible working class at its lowest rung. These workers serve not only as cleaners, cooks and nannies, but also secret-keepers, emotional supports, and sometimes victims. The book examines the extreme power imbalance and fear that become a combustible breaking point for these women, whose simplest needs and wants prove continually out of reach.
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One of my favorite parts of this book is Cora’s project archiving her employer’s family recipes into a cookbook. Cora adds her own special touch in the kitchen to dumplings, which have sooo many variations such as the sticky rice-filled dumplings of Singapore. However: I know my limits in the kitchen and this turkey variety are my go-to when my family wants a dumpling fix! They’re super easy to make and I love a recipe that is “to taste” like this one. Add a little more or less until it’s just right! I made this from a hybrid of recipes of @thewoksoflife — have fun choosing your own dumpling adventure!