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A review by mirel
Bury What We Cannot Take by Kirstin Chen
3.0
Probably more of a 3.5
The story opens well, painting a sharp picture of the early years of Communism for an industrial family in China. The father works in Hong Kong, while his old mother, wife and two children are living in China. The story more or less opens with the children secretly witnessing their grandmother taking a hammer to the requisite picture of Chairman Mao, which the older son ends up reporting. While the beginning of the book looked like it would be a five, I felt that the second half of the book wasn't as well developed as the beginning. Although the story shifts between several character's viewpoints, we don't really get much of a picture of the son's head after the consequences of his actions. Surely he would have devoted some thought to it and had some feelings about it! And the end seemed altogether way too rushed!
Despite the shortcomings in the second half of the book, I would still recommend this as an interesting glimpse at that critical period.
The story opens well, painting a sharp picture of the early years of Communism for an industrial family in China. The father works in Hong Kong, while his old mother, wife and two children are living in China. The story more or less opens with the children secretly witnessing their grandmother taking a hammer to the requisite picture of Chairman Mao, which the older son ends up reporting. While the beginning of the book looked like it would be a five, I felt that the second half of the book wasn't as well developed as the beginning. Although the story shifts between several character's viewpoints, we don't really get much of a picture of the son's head after the consequences of his actions. Surely he would have devoted some thought to it and had some feelings about it! And the end seemed altogether way too rushed!
Despite the shortcomings in the second half of the book, I would still recommend this as an interesting glimpse at that critical period.