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daniella84 's review for:
Four Treasures of the Sky
by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Tells an important part of American history that is brutal and dark, but with the grace it needs to not feel gratuitous.
I think the author pinned down the tone really well, showing how a young character ripped from the comfort of her family life would deal with sex trafficking and racist violence in a new country. I also think the author's note was interesting - in wanting to remind the world of this history in the COVID-era discrimination against and violence towards Chinese people.
Definitely not an easy read, but an accessible one which I think does a great job of telling the story it set out to. Reminds me of How Much of These Hills Is Gold in terms of setting and some of the themes, and Babel with some of the language elements.
I think the author pinned down the tone really well, showing how a young character ripped from the comfort of her family life would deal with sex trafficking and racist violence in a new country. I also think the author's note was interesting - in wanting to remind the world of this history in the COVID-era discrimination against and violence towards Chinese people.
Definitely not an easy read, but an accessible one which I think does a great job of telling the story it set out to. Reminds me of How Much of These Hills Is Gold in terms of setting and some of the themes, and Babel with some of the language elements.