This is the author’s first book in English, and I believe she has added richness to the language through her writing: “Auntie Mei dispensed the truth sparingly, as if it were a tube of toothpaste.” What a great way to describe someone who is used to a life of hardship when even toothpaste was a luxury.
This is the story of a mother and daughter, spanning China and Canada, and moving between the present and the past. We learn about the daughter’s sacrifices early in the book. The mother’s sacrifices, however, are revealed as the story unfolds, with the biggest revelation saved for the end.
The bottle the daughter finds in her mother’s memory box—what a shocking story lies behind it. And the photo of Meng Long… I loved how the author reveals this story piece by piece.
“For himself, the last bullet”—this quote appears early in the book, and only later do we discover the circumstances under which it occurred.
We have to wait until the very end to get to the bottom of the toothpaste. Recommend for fans of historical fiction who enjoy a slowly unfolding drama.
Anna Bushi 