The first book I've finished this year (although started last year), is Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See. This is the second book by her that I've read and enjoyed, the first being Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
Shanghai Girls is the story of two Chinese sisters who live in Shanghai in the late 1930's. These girls are young, modern, and thoroughly enjoying living in what was known as "the Paris of the Asia". However, due to their father's unscrupulous dealings with money, and attacks by the Japanese, they are forced into marriages that bring them to Los Angeles, California in the early 1940's.
The story continues to follow the lives of these sisters throughout the years, as they deal with families, husbands, children, neighbors, and "becoming American". What I really appreciated was the tension that was evident in their lives as they strove to preserve their Chinese culture and heritage, while living in a time in America where being Chinese was equated with being accused of being a communist, and living with the fear of the threat of deportation back to China. This tension was further complicated by their desires for their children to grow up to be as American as possible; yet there is grief and sadness when their children shun traditional Chinese ways.
The main relationship in the book is between the two sisters - Pearl and May. Their relationship changed much over the years, as they experienced different dimensions of joy, hardship, and tragedy together. There are some difficult scenes to read in this book - brutal things that happen to the sisters while they are still in China. These occurrences, though, are not only integral to the plot throughout the book, but also serve to shape and develop the characters.
All in all, two thumbs up.
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