By Akira Park
In the eyes of Filipinos, I am not Filipina enough. In the eyes of Americans, I’m not American enough.
When I went back home to the Philippines as a senior in high school after having lived in the United States for seven years as an immigrant, I had daydreamed that the experience would be exciting and healing. I had been craving a better understanding of who I was as a Filipina woman, on the soil where I was born and partly raised. Nothing could beat my homeland, after all. Yet when I arrived, I was met with the harsh reality of being a foreigner in the land I called home. Reading Ex Marks the Spot by Gloria Chao felt like an exact mirror of my experience in December of 2019 as an almost-graduating high school student who craved to understand how to fit a puzzle piece of my identity that I had lost years ago. There was a line of not being Asian or American enough, growing thinner by the day.
This young adult novel by Gloria Chao explores the story of Gemma Sun, a recent high school graduate and an incoming college freshman who faces challenges with funding her tuition as a low-income student. With the tuition due date appearing nearer and nearer, Gemma grows hopeless. Despite the financial pressure of college looming over Gemma’s shoulder, her mother only shows slight concern and hopes for the best. Yet, their familial secrets abruptly unfold when an unexpected visitor arrives on their doorstep.
Throughout her childhood, Gemma was convinced that her grandfather, Yong Ping Sun, had passed away right after she was born, but that could not be further from the truth. In reality, her grandfather had only passed away two weeks ago. After a visit from her grandfather’s lawyer with the news, Gemma is met with an inheritance, a beautiful hand-carved box, as well as an abundance of questions. Expecting ample money inside the box to fund her tuition, disappointment takes over. Gemma is dismayed as stacks of old newspaper clippings, curated by her late grandfather, are crammed inside. These newspaper clippings catapult her journey through riddling puzzles created by her grandfather to start a new summer adventure in Taiwan filled with uncertainty and, hopefully, an adequate amount of money to cover her college tuition. But, Gemma also needs a helping hand from the last person she would hope to approach to solve her grandfather’s riddles and unfold her inheritance—her ex-boyfriend, Xander Pan.
Xander Pan is both Gemma’s ex-boyfriend, and worse, her rival. From having contrasting approaches as former partners in a science project and a subtle contest as co-valedictorians, to feuding families, Xander and Gemma have difficulty sustaining a “harmonious” relationship, But, as financial problems and uncertainties loom over Gemma and her mother, Gemma requests financial support from her mother for a trip to Taiwan, hoping to find an inheritance to alleviate Gemma’s financial worries. Her mother refuses.
However, Xander is Gemma’s only path (and hope) to acquiring her inheritance in time for her tuition’s due date. As the founder of the Taiwanese American Roots Pursuit Program, also known as TARP, Taiwanese American members are chosen selectively and provided the opportunity to visit Taiwan during the summer to strengthen students’ connection with their Taiwanese heritage through cultural immersion. These included visiting historical buildings in Taiwan, being engulfed in delicious Taiwanese food, and being around Taiwanese culture. Right in the middle of Gemma’s mission to unlock her grandfather’s riddles, though, she realizes that Xander’s help in becoming a part of TARP is just the beginning of their adventure—he is a key part of her treasure hunt.
Filled with mystery, treasure hunts, and puzzles, and mixed with a hefty dash of romantic comedy, Ex Marks the Spot is perfect for readers who seek enigmatic riddles and witty adventures. The story immerses the reader with rich and striking descriptions of Taiwanese food, language, and culture that make every step of the way feel like a window into Taiwan. With intimate and meaningful conversations about the Asian diaspora, Gemma faces an extreme challenge in connecting to her Taiwanese roots, especially with having limited familiarity with the language, in which many Asian Americans can attest to having similar testimonies.
Though I am not Taiwanese American and cannot speak for Taiwanese culture, I related to Gemma’s yearning to connect with her Taiwanese heritage, grandfather, and language as an Asian American immigrant; this book felt like an exact mirror to my experiences as a Filipina reader. It takes me back to the discussion of Indigeneity, the importance of your heritage language, and honoring those in the spirit realm—your ancestors and/or Elders. Specifically, the criticality of honoring those who had passed along and how the stories, narratives, and linguistics they hold should be sustained and not forgotten. To say the least, we tend to forget who we are and where we came from, to which I believe this book slightly reminds the reader to remember.
Reading Ex Marks the Spot reminded me that, whether an immigrant or born away from your homeland, the stories of our ancestors and Elders must be maintained in us, as they live within us. Often, I forget the stories and the hardships that my late grandfather had to endure to bring his family to the United States for a life that alleviated worries, which would have otherwise persisted if it weren’t for his sacrifices. Living in the United States for half of my life doesn’t make it any better.
During my youth, my family often told me, “Don’t forget, you’re not American, so don’t fall into the ways Americans do things. We are Filipinos.” Yet, when I went to school, all I had craved was acceptance, and the way I saw to do that was by trying to be like all the other American kids. At the end of the day, though, I was too Asian to fit in as an American. Yet, my visit to the Philippines felt like a massive hit in the gut—most of my family saw me as American, even asking if I still knew how to speak Tagalog (I do, even if my vocabulary level is stuck at a 5th-grade level). It’s pretty ironic that throughout my high school experience, I had a massive identity crisis where I couldn’t see myself as Filipina enough or American enough. I was foreign in both countries I called home, and I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be. I felt exactly how Gemma felt—lost in her ways of being and language, but hopeful to learn more about who she was and who she is.
While I loved the banter between Gemma and Xander, staying cognizant and retaining some of the inside jokes between them was challenging. Furthermore, I found a lack of depth and exploration with the secondary characters, which I’d love to learn more about. For example, I saw potential in growing the relationship between Gemma and her best friend, Val. I hoped Chao would have dove into Val’s character with much depth as I read the book. I believe there was potential in seeing how Val’s support for Gemma could have evolved into Val’s contribution to the treasure hunts. The same would apply to all Gemma’s companions and friendships with the TARP participants. After the story, I also wondered about Gemma and Brett’s relationship, her second love interest in the book; it seemed as if Brett completely dropped out of the narrative after being present for the first two-thirds of the story. While multiple chapters showed the growth of Gemma and Brett’s relationship, as the story began to focus on Gemma and Xander, I was confused about the transition between Gemma’s love interests in this book.
Additionally, the lack of pining between Gemma and Xander made the transition between her love interests unwieldy. While the mystery of this book was entertaining, I was confused and found myself having difficulty comprehending the riddles. It made it feel like I wasn’t this story’s target audience. This makes me wonder how the puzzles and riddles described throughout this novel will keep young adult readers engaged. Though I desired to enjoy and understand the mystery piece of this novel, I had to re-read and pause multiple times to understand what was happening in the overall mystery essence of this story. Nevertheless, I believe that this book is perfect for readers who love to feel challenged in solving puzzles with the book and are looking for a fast-paced young adult read.
Gloria Chao’s Ex Marks the Spot is an excellent read for a fun, meandering story that combines mystery, rom-com, and cultural exploration. Being such a light-hearted read, Ex Marks the Spot reminds us that wherever we go, we carry generations of stories and must not lose sight of who we are. In many ways, we must continue connecting with ourselves through food, language, or our community. The Asian diaspora is neither one nor the other–we are pieces of a puzzle that live intricately, weaving through the riddles of who we are and our stories that are ever changing. No Asian American is too Asian or too American–we are Asian Americans.
Akira Park (she/her/siya) is a graduate student at Washington State University’s Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education program and a McNair Alumna. Her research interests are primarily on the representation of Asian American youth narratives and experiences in education and young adult literature. Outside of reading, she often manages her farm in Stardew Valley.