A review by essinink
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
4.0
I hesitated a bit over the rating, but I feel relatively comfortable giving this a 4 out of 5.
I'm not sure how to describe this other than to say that this is a supremely human novel.
The writing isn't always perfect, but there's something very compelling about it. And then, every so often, the author punched me in the gut with an image so vivid I had to remind myself it was fiction.
And then, of course... San-xiang's stand-alone chapter. To be fair, it's not the be-all end-all of her character arc, and she gets a very well thought-out send-off the next time she meets Zhang, but it still bugged me.
If it has one other flaw, it is that the ending feels slightly abrupt at first reading. I turned the page, expecting more, and there just... wasn't. After a few hours away, I was able to make the necessary connections back to the rest of the novel to realize how fitting it was as an ending.
And it is fitting.
The protagonist's journey is wonderfully executed, and each of the supporting characters with which his life briefly intersects also get their own treatments--some heartwarming, others tragic--but there is, throughout the novel, a sense of becoming. And maybe we don't get all the answers. Even so, we get the important ones.
4/5 recommended/would read again.
I'm not sure how to describe this other than to say that this is a supremely human novel.
The writing isn't always perfect, but there's something very compelling about it. And then, every so often, the author punched me in the gut with an image so vivid I had to remind myself it was fiction.
And then, of course... San-xiang's stand-alone chapter.
Spoiler
I knew where this was going pretty much from the moment in the bar, but was still... disappointed(?)... that the author went through with it. I will never be comfortable using rape as a plot device.If it has one other flaw, it is that the ending feels slightly abrupt at first reading. I turned the page, expecting more, and there just... wasn't. After a few hours away, I was able to make the necessary connections back to the rest of the novel to realize how fitting it was as an ending.
And it is fitting.
The protagonist's journey is wonderfully executed, and each of the supporting characters with which his life briefly intersects also get their own treatments--some heartwarming, others tragic--but there is, throughout the novel, a sense of becoming. And maybe we don't get all the answers. Even so, we get the important ones.
4/5 recommended/would read again.