Kind of like Sophie's choice ... a mom has to choose only one out of her two kids to take with her. She's racked by guilt and scrambles to find a way to bring her young daughter across the border.

I really thought I would hear more from Ah Liam, the son who started the chain of events by reporting his grandmother breaking a portrait of Mao. We get so many viewpoints that each of their stories felt like they needed more time to develop.

Especially the ending. Did the author run out of time and just write a quick chapter to "tie" things up at the end?



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Set in Maoist China, a young boy, Ah Liam, reports that his grandmother took a hammer to Chairman Mao's portrait because he believes that is the right thing to do. This causes Ah Liam's family to flee to Hong Kong, where his father has been living, but the government will not provide enough visas which results in one of the children being left behind.

A harrowing tale about living with the consequences of our choices. ( )

3.5 Twelve year old, Ah Liam is a staunch supporter of the cultural revolution and of Chairman Mao. So much so that he reports his own grandmother for taking a hammer to the picture in their house, the picture every house must have, of their beloved Chairman. Coming from a priviledged background, his family still living in their Villa, albeit on only one floor, but still maintaining a few servents, he already has much to overcome. This sct though will start a crushing tide of circumstances, one that will find himself, his mother and grandma fleeing to Hong Kong, but forced to leave his nine year old sister San San, behind.

This book starts out very powerfully, a close look at the cultural revolution and the fear and divisions it caused in families and in its citizens. A time when people were encouraged to tell on each other, to curry favor and gain in status. It is the story of a young girl left behind in the care of servants, that wants only to be reconnected with her family. She sees horrible things, endures much as she tries to escape. I loved the character of San San, hers was the most developed character, the rest just background.

The last part of the book though I thought not as strong. I'm not sure a young, nine year old could do all the things, think the way she does, rationalize and carry out her plans. So I felt the last part of the book lost credibility and turned into an adventure story rather than the strong historical in which it started. Glad I read this though, I did enjoy it for the most part. It is definitely worth reading.

ARC from Netgalley. ( )