A review by booksafternoon
The Last Quarter of the Moon by Chi Zijian

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

“We don’t need to leave a trail of tree markers anymore when we relocate. There are more and more paved routes in the mountain now. When there were none, we’d lose our way; there are many roads now, but we still lose our way because we don’t know which road to choose.”

A beautiful generational tale following the story of an Evenki woman and her tribe during the 20th century. 

This is a slow paced book with magical elements to it. At times it reminded me of the studio ghibli movie, Princess Mononoke, with all the deer, forest forces and spirits elements. 

Nature is almost a character on its own. We witness the happy, cheerful moments but we also witness the hardship and the brutal cruel side of Nature. “I’ve already told many tales of death, but it’s unavoidable, because everyone will die.”

My biggest problem with the book, was the pacing and the lack of action. It felt too monotonous at times.