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nini23's review
emotional
informative
tense
5.0
Feckless girl marries son of her father's nemesis is the start of two intertwined families' fates against sprawling background of Hong Kong history in all its vibrancy. 'Doubly colonized' by the British and Japanese, now on the year of Hong Kong handover to China (1997), great-aunt Violet recounts to her grandniece Ophelia what happened in those upheaval years.
Familiarity with Hong Kong coupled with conscientious research makes the little intricate details such as the Tanka people's way of life on boats, Wong Nai Chung Village and the iconic Hong Kong Cricket Club come alive. The effects of colonialism, imperialism and war on the Hong Kong people is heartbreaking. Larissa Lai describes so well the ambiguous feeling they felt during that time, having been abandoned by the cowardly British and ravished cruelly by the Japanese; the KMT and communists working in hiding to repel the occupying Japanese. Some supported the East River Communists while others' sympathies lay with the nationalist Kuomintang. The civilians just tried to survive. That cricket match was riveting, not because of the sport itself, but the stakes at hand and what those on the 'British' team were trying to achieve with delaying tactics in the middle of war. The alluring idea of a 'Pan-Asia' free of white European colonialism was met with the reality of a brutal Japanese occupation.
The cast of characters is quite large but each of their unique personalities and backgrounds are distinctive. Some are based off actual historical figures. Captain Lee, Old Cheung, Tak Tam, Tak Wing, Ting Yan, Violet, Emily, Horace, Noma, Courchene and so many others, their stories lodge into the heart and imagination. The two intertwined families are the Mah and Cheung families, the feud due to deadly 'anti-opium' pills. William Courchen is an intriguing Black Métis Canadian character with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, who having imbibed Du Bois's ideas, travels to HK to get ideas on throwing off the shackles of imperialism for his people. The setting and description of the early Hakka, Tanka and Punti people are really evocative.
All the ghosts of the Qing Dynasty clearances,...,were layered beneath the traces of the thousands murdered during the Hakka-Punti wars and the Red Turban and Taiping Rebellions.
Highly recommend this historical fiction novel. The title, I reckon, harkens back to the time of the end of the Qing Dynasty, aftermath of the Opium wars, the triads, colonization by the British and then the Japanese, later the Chinese civil war. Wonder what is in store for Hong Kong this century?
Familiarity with Hong Kong coupled with conscientious research makes the little intricate details such as the Tanka people's way of life on boats, Wong Nai Chung Village and the iconic Hong Kong Cricket Club come alive. The effects of colonialism, imperialism and war on the Hong Kong people is heartbreaking. Larissa Lai describes so well the ambiguous feeling they felt during that time, having been abandoned by the cowardly British and ravished cruelly by the Japanese; the KMT and communists working in hiding to repel the occupying Japanese. Some supported the East River Communists while others' sympathies lay with the nationalist Kuomintang. The civilians just tried to survive. That cricket match was riveting, not because of the sport itself, but the stakes at hand and what those on the 'British' team were trying to achieve with delaying tactics in the middle of war. The alluring idea of a 'Pan-Asia' free of white European colonialism was met with the reality of a brutal Japanese occupation.
The cast of characters is quite large but each of their unique personalities and backgrounds are distinctive. Some are based off actual historical figures. Captain Lee, Old Cheung, Tak Tam, Tak Wing, Ting Yan, Violet, Emily, Horace, Noma, Courchene and so many others, their stories lodge into the heart and imagination. The two intertwined families are the Mah and Cheung families, the feud due to deadly 'anti-opium' pills. William Courchen is an intriguing Black Métis Canadian character with the Winnipeg Grenadiers, who having imbibed Du Bois's ideas, travels to HK to get ideas on throwing off the shackles of imperialism for his people. The setting and description of the early Hakka, Tanka and Punti people are really evocative.
All the ghosts of the Qing Dynasty clearances,...,were layered beneath the traces of the thousands murdered during the Hakka-Punti wars and the Red Turban and Taiping Rebellions.
Highly recommend this historical fiction novel. The title, I reckon, harkens back to the time of the end of the Qing Dynasty, aftermath of the Opium wars, the triads, colonization by the British and then the Japanese, later the Chinese civil war. Wonder what is in store for Hong Kong this century?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Torture, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs and Medical content
mgmotley's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
hilaryreadsbooks's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, and War
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