by Lisa See
In Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See takes us on a journey back to a captivating era of Chinese history and delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.
In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, an “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she has written a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together they endure the agony of footbinding and reflect upon their arranged marriages, their loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace in their friendship, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their relationship suddenly threatens to tear apart.
(Source: Goodreads)
Review
It's definitely alive, the story.
Lily first came out as someone most would be able to like easily. She was kind and curious as a child, but became submissive as an adult. She have all the good qualities, also the bad ones in her, yet at first it seems alright as she doesn't seem like a character that could possibly harm anyone.
However later one, we are shown how just by being a person who goes along with the flow, she caused much grief to her dearest, most loved sworn friend and despite all the social glory, she couldn't escape the inner guilt towards everyone she held dear.
It sounds hard to relate when I first read the synopsis. It turns out, Lily is absolutely easy to relate to. It's that subconscious similar part in the unintentional mistakes we all make daily that makes it impossible for a girl, or any female at all, to put the book down.
I found it easy to share her worries, anger, guilt and regret.
No comments:
Post a Comment