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teetanreads 's review for:
Four Treasures of the Sky
by Jenny Tinghui Zhang
“I have felt many things, given them many names. This one I do not want to name. It is as if someone has tied a large stone to my heart, tied it so tight that the veins are full and swelling, and dropped the stone in the deepest part of the ocean."
I normally do not venture as far back as the 1800s when reading historical fiction, but I’m so thankful I decided to travel along with Daiyu on her journey from China to the United States in the mid-19th century. Daiyu leads a life of contentment living with her parents and grandmother in a fishing village in China, far removed from the largest city. Daiyu was bestowed with her name after the poet Lin Daiyu, a tragic figure who, legend says, died from melancholy and a broken heart. However, our Daiyu inherits not only the name, but the spirit of Lin Daiyu, who will become an essential force that accompanies her on her tumultuous journey.
Daiyu’s life is irrevocably changed the day her parents go missing, ultimately shifting her fate forever. To protect her from also being entangled in her parent’s mysterious disappearance, her grandmother disguises her as a boy and sends her to the nearest city, hoping she can make a life for herself there. Daiyu struggles to survive, until one day a shopkeeper takes pity on her and directs her to the calligraphy school where she could find work and shelter. Her time at the calligraphy school was one of my favorite elements of the book, because she would explain the characters and the significance of each part of its design. The following passage exemplifies this so beautifully: “My name is made out of fire, of earth, of emperors. I am a precious piece of jade, a dark swath of greatness.” Jenny included the characters within the text which I appreciated, as it added the visual for which Daiyu was describing.
Although Daiyu was excelling at the calligraphy school, unfortunately her time there would be brief, as her path was about to turn again. I knew this book was going to break my heart, but I did not realize to such a degree. Daiyu would be smuggled to the United States and forced to work in a brothel. She faced such unbearable conditions on her journey overseas and upon her arrival. That was only the beginning.
During her time in the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is passed, thereby making outright discrimination and violence against people of Chinese descent legal. The passage of this legislation would ultimately be the unraveling of the life Daiyu had managed to salvage. As I kept reading, I was building hope that she would escape her life of trauma, but sadly she could not outrun the malice threatening her.
Another element I really enjoyed was the incorporation of Daiyu’s namesake, Lin Daiyu, into the story. She accompanies Daiyu on her journey, at first as a specter haunting her, but later as an ally giving her courage. I found it a very creative way to tie Daiyu to the origin of her name. Sadly, her story unfolded in an equally tragic way as Lin Daiyu.
As one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, I was not disappointed. The prose was beautifully written, poetic and lyrical. Although the book ends in tragedy, Daiyu’s story is fiction. There are likely so many true stories of Chinese people who faced such bigotry and violence in their own lives. I was shocked by a history that I knew very little of, and although I learned more of it through fiction, this is just the springboard to discovering more of the history of racism that often goes unspoken.
Overall, this is a stunning debut. Jenny has established herself as a new voice to be reckoned with. I’d highly recommend it if you enjoy 19th century historical fiction, as well as a strong female protagonist. However, I warn you that your heart will be shattered. Don’t let that deter you, though, it’s worth it.
I normally do not venture as far back as the 1800s when reading historical fiction, but I’m so thankful I decided to travel along with Daiyu on her journey from China to the United States in the mid-19th century. Daiyu leads a life of contentment living with her parents and grandmother in a fishing village in China, far removed from the largest city. Daiyu was bestowed with her name after the poet Lin Daiyu, a tragic figure who, legend says, died from melancholy and a broken heart. However, our Daiyu inherits not only the name, but the spirit of Lin Daiyu, who will become an essential force that accompanies her on her tumultuous journey.
Daiyu’s life is irrevocably changed the day her parents go missing, ultimately shifting her fate forever. To protect her from also being entangled in her parent’s mysterious disappearance, her grandmother disguises her as a boy and sends her to the nearest city, hoping she can make a life for herself there. Daiyu struggles to survive, until one day a shopkeeper takes pity on her and directs her to the calligraphy school where she could find work and shelter. Her time at the calligraphy school was one of my favorite elements of the book, because she would explain the characters and the significance of each part of its design. The following passage exemplifies this so beautifully: “My name is made out of fire, of earth, of emperors. I am a precious piece of jade, a dark swath of greatness.” Jenny included the characters within the text which I appreciated, as it added the visual for which Daiyu was describing.
Although Daiyu was excelling at the calligraphy school, unfortunately her time there would be brief, as her path was about to turn again. I knew this book was going to break my heart, but I did not realize to such a degree. Daiyu would be smuggled to the United States and forced to work in a brothel. She faced such unbearable conditions on her journey overseas and upon her arrival. That was only the beginning.
During her time in the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is passed, thereby making outright discrimination and violence against people of Chinese descent legal. The passage of this legislation would ultimately be the unraveling of the life Daiyu had managed to salvage. As I kept reading, I was building hope that she would escape her life of trauma, but sadly she could not outrun the malice threatening her.
Another element I really enjoyed was the incorporation of Daiyu’s namesake, Lin Daiyu, into the story. She accompanies Daiyu on her journey, at first as a specter haunting her, but later as an ally giving her courage. I found it a very creative way to tie Daiyu to the origin of her name. Sadly, her story unfolded in an equally tragic way as Lin Daiyu.
As one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, I was not disappointed. The prose was beautifully written, poetic and lyrical. Although the book ends in tragedy, Daiyu’s story is fiction. There are likely so many true stories of Chinese people who faced such bigotry and violence in their own lives. I was shocked by a history that I knew very little of, and although I learned more of it through fiction, this is just the springboard to discovering more of the history of racism that often goes unspoken.
Overall, this is a stunning debut. Jenny has established herself as a new voice to be reckoned with. I’d highly recommend it if you enjoy 19th century historical fiction, as well as a strong female protagonist. However, I warn you that your heart will be shattered. Don’t let that deter you, though, it’s worth it.