Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange
Author: Katie Goh
Three-Sentence Summary
In "Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange," Katie Goh weaves together a hybrid memoir that explores the orange as a metaphor for hybridity, inheritance, and identity. As a queer person of Chinese, Malaysian, and Irish heritage raised in Northern Ireland, Goh parallels her complex cultural background with the orange's journey across continents and its genetic tendency toward multiplicity. Through this elegant exploration, Goh refuses simple narratives about herself and the fruit, instead creating a complex meditation on colonialism, belonging, and the restrictive nature of conventional identity narratives.
Extended Summary
"Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of the Orange" began after the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, when Goh, rejecting a request to write a quick response piece about anti-Asian hate crimes, instead ate five oranges at her parents' kitchen table—a moment that inspired her to see the fruit as a lens through which to examine her own complex identity.
The book follows both oranges and Goh's personal journeys, beginning in China (where sweet oranges were first cultivated and where Goh's paternal ancestry lies), through Malaysia (where her grandparents live), and into Europe. Throughout, Goh draws parallels between the orange's botanical nature—its genetic "inherent divergence" and tendency to cross-pollinate, producing unpredictable results unless controlled through grafting—and her own multicultural identity.
Unlike her earlier writing that catered to what critics call "the first-person industrial complex," where traumatic experiences were packaged into neat viral essays, "Foreign Fruit" uses oranges as a cipher that allows Goh to write about herself indirectly. Each chapter braids together citrus history with Goh's travels, family stories, and reflections on hybridity. The narrative includes cinematic historical scenes alongside personal experiences, such as visiting her father's ancestral village in Fujian, constructing her family tree in Kuala Lumpur, and examining how colonization—from Britain's conquest of Malaysia to her education in Northern Ireland—shaped her understanding of history and self.
While the book offers much food for thought and showcases Goh's talents as a prose stylist, the review notes that her choice to structure her personal journey around literal travels sometimes limits opportunities for deeper reflection.
Key Points
- The orange serves as a metaphor for hybridity and multiplicity, mirroring Goh's own complex cultural identity as someone of Chinese, Malaysian, and Irish heritage.
- The book rejects simplified narratives about identity in favor of exploring the complexities of belonging, inheritance, and colonialism.
- Goh traces both the orange's journey from China across the globe and her own family's migration history and personal travels.
- The narrative style represents a deliberate shift away from Goh's earlier writing, which packaged personal trauma into "convenient" and "neat" essays.
- The book combines historical research, memoir, and cultural analysis in a hybrid form that mirrors its subject matter.
Who Should Read
Readers interested in hybrid memoirs that challenge conventional narratives about identity and belonging will appreciate "Foreign Fruit." Those who enjoy food history, postcolonial perspectives, or explorations of multicultural identity will find Goh's approach innovative and thought-provoking. The book will particularly resonate with anyone who has experienced the complexity of multiple cultural belongings or who appreciates literary approaches to examining everyday objects.
About the Author
Katie Goh is a writer of Chinese, Malaysian, and Irish heritage who was raised in Northern Ireland. Her writing career began in college during the 2010s, initially conforming to what critic Laura Bennett termed the "first-person industrial complex" by writing personal essays about her racial identity. "Foreign Fruit" represents a more nuanced approach to exploring identity, using the orange as a lens through which to examine colonialism, hybridity, and belonging without reducing herself to simplified narratives.