This is a multi-generational family saga taking place in California in the 1980's. We see the story through the eyes of three generations of women. Silk, the grandmother, born in Taiwan and widowed through the tragedies of the 2/28 massacre; her daughter, Lisa, born in the USA and now having trouble holding down a job while taking care of her daughter and ailing mother; and Abbey, Lisa's daughter, a smart fifth-grader dealing with issues beyond her years. There is also the voice of Jack thrown into the mix, an elderly Chinese American who is the janitor at Abbey's school and who resides at a senior home where Lisa once worked.
I think I had high hopes for this book, I did enjoy learning about the 2/28 Massacre in Taiwan, as I really did not know of these events at all. The book deals with how the events of that day have affected the lineage of women, their relationships with one another and other events in their daily lives. Lisa and Abbey's characters know nothing of what has happened to Silk or her husband. Through the story, we get to learn of their discovery of Silk's past and what it means to them. I did feel like there was a let down when the characters learned of the events. The characters weren't quite as developed as I would have liked them in order to convey the gravity of the situation. I also feel like there were too many other events and important topics going on within the characters lives to fully appreciate everything they learned, for example; an almost-rape of a fifth-grader, cancer and peer-pressure. However, this was still a good examination of women's relationships and of Taiwanese culture, which is something I don't see often. I think I really just wanted this book to be more of a split time period type read, where we go back and forth between the events leading up to the massacre in the 1940's and the relatives dealing with it in the 1980's, instead of everyone dealing with things in the 1980's.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
I think I had high hopes for this book, I did enjoy learning about the 2/28 Massacre in Taiwan, as I really did not know of these events at all. The book deals with how the events of that day have affected the lineage of women, their relationships with one another and other events in their daily lives. Lisa and Abbey's characters know nothing of what has happened to Silk or her husband. Through the story, we get to learn of their discovery of Silk's past and what it means to them. I did feel like there was a let down when the characters learned of the events. The characters weren't quite as developed as I would have liked them in order to convey the gravity of the situation. I also feel like there were too many other events and important topics going on within the characters lives to fully appreciate everything they learned, for example; an almost-rape of a fifth-grader, cancer and peer-pressure. However, this was still a good examination of women's relationships and of Taiwanese culture, which is something I don't see often. I think I really just wanted this book to be more of a split time period type read, where we go back and forth between the events leading up to the massacre in the 1940's and the relatives dealing with it in the 1980's, instead of everyone dealing with things in the 1980's.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
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