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A review by ruxandra_grr
China Mountain Zhang by Maureen F. McHugh
3.0
Okay, this is... complicated. It's a really beautifully written work, with a different sort of structure that is, in its way, linear or at least chronological - chapters about the main character Zhang/ Rafael alternating with chapters from other POV's, distinct characters with the narrative, tangentially related. If I were to describe the structure, I would use the word 'system' - so a system-like structure -, because the concept of systems is thematically relevant and is the specialization of Zhang in engineering.
Aaaaaanyway, getting back on track. The writing just flows and the characterization is beautiful, so is a lot of the plot. I am positively in love with some of the chapters (Baffin Island, Homework) and they show such wonderful, human, painful but touching and *real* moments. People huddling around someone suffering from 'winter depression' and holding them emotionally. The first real fight of a marriage, happening in the center of a kitchen filled with goats! Gorgeous stuff.
At the same time, this book has a bit of an ass - which I would describe as 'released in 1992' - and it shows a bunch of times. In the third paragraph of the book we get the C-slur a couple of times, from the first person perspective of our main character, an ABC - American Born Chinese. That felt jarring and leads me to a wider point: this book about a half-Chinese, half-Latino gay man is written by a white woman and I'm in none of those groups, so I don't know how to look at the representation (I will for sure seek out reviews from these groups).
I can say that I absolutely despised the Three Fragrances chapter, the next to last one.. This event and chapter fails to connect to other parts of the story, there is a distinct lack of gender commentary in the book, it feels like gender equality has been achieved (at least on some fronts, the fact that prettiness matters is a signal that it has not) and there are plenty of women in positions of power, so I genuinely don't understand this choice or what it brought to the narrative.
There is also a 'bury your gays' moment, and I can understand this choice better in the narrative, but at the same time I'm uncomfortable with it being in a book not written by a gay man, since a lot of straight writers (especially in the past) tend to exploit the tragedies of gay people.
Beyond the book, there's a blurb from a review at the end that says Good science fiction has never been predictable and politically correct. and this feels very head-scratchy to me. I still don't know what to make of this book, politically, the first chapters seemed to talk about the importance of being political and how even if you claim to not be political, the choices you make are, which feels undermined by and then the book ends with .
And then you have an interesting chapter about overt political action, aka getting involved in political life and that failing and then deciding to solve a problem via marriage thus revealing how marriage is in and of itself a political choice, whether intentional or not!
So I am hugely conflicted about this one, I am so glad I get to talk about this at book club and maybe have more clarity. If that happens, I'll amend my review!
Aaaaaanyway, getting back on track. The writing just flows and the characterization is beautiful, so is a lot of the plot. I am positively in love with some of the chapters (Baffin Island, Homework) and they show such wonderful, human, painful but touching and *real* moments. People huddling around someone suffering from 'winter depression' and holding them emotionally. The first real fight of a marriage, happening in the center of a kitchen filled with goats! Gorgeous stuff.
At the same time, this book has a bit of an ass - which I would describe as 'released in 1992' - and it shows a bunch of times. In the third paragraph of the book we get the C-slur a couple of times, from the first person perspective of our main character, an ABC - American Born Chinese. That felt jarring and leads me to a wider point: this book about a half-Chinese, half-Latino gay man is written by a white woman and I'm in none of those groups, so I don't know how to look at the representation (I will for sure seek out reviews from these groups).
I can say that I absolutely despised the Three Fragrances chapter, the next to last one.
Spoiler
The one in which 'ugly' political girl San-Xiang is raped, after she prettifies herself via surgery. I'd really loved the character in the first chapter, but this one seems to exist to show that she is so naive and when she gets pretty, she gets raped. It is such a reductive view of sexual assault that I can't even. Ffs, sexual assaults are not about beauty, they're about power. I find it hard to believe that a political woman such as San-Xiang would be that naiveThere is also a 'bury your gays' moment, and I can understand this choice better in the narrative, but at the same time I'm uncomfortable with it being in a book not written by a gay man, since a lot of straight writers (especially in the past) tend to exploit the tragedies of gay people.
Beyond the book, there's a blurb from a review at the end that says Good science fiction has never been predictable and politically correct. and this feels very head-scratchy to me. I still don't know what to make of this book, politically, the first chapters seemed to talk about the importance of being political and how even if you claim to not be political, the choices you make are, which feels undermined by
Spoiler
having your overtly political character raped with apparently her not understanding any feminist theory about gender dynamics???Spoiler
the main character becoming an entrepreneur and starting a small business and I was like wtf??And then you have an interesting chapter about overt political action, aka getting involved in political life and that failing and then deciding to solve a problem via marriage thus revealing how marriage is in and of itself a political choice, whether intentional or not!
Spoiler
Which once again, kinda gets undermined when Martine and Alexi were already into each other and then fall in love while married.So I am hugely conflicted about this one, I am so glad I get to talk about this at book club and maybe have more clarity. If that happens, I'll amend my review!