Bury What We Cannot Take | 
pickAfter 1949 China became a Republic, everything stayed the same for a while, as the craziness of the Cultural Revolution began many of the wealthy and the middle classes left .Then the border got sealed and getting out was very difficult. This the story of one family and their attempts to leave. The father was all ready in HK and though there were four of them they were only granted 3 temporary exit permits. The 9 yr old daughter was left behind.
so-so⛵️Re-checked out so I could finish the last 25%.
⛵️Final 2 chaprs were horribly rushed when compared to rest of story‘s flow & progress.
⛵️Finale felt like it was out of convenience rather than a natural conclusion of events.
⛵️Ah Liam‘s POV barely gets any attention.
⛵️Some other POVs were stretched out & detracted from development & my investment in other characters‘ plights.
⛵️Hinted at PTSD trauma at end.
⛵️Badly written conclusion.
⛵️3.75/5.
pick⚓️Tale about family who made a horrid sacrifice for survival.
⚓️Writing is evocative, beautiful, & intelligent while being simple & straightforward.
⚓️Told via 4 POVs that help readers view differing reactions/affects of trauma & abandonment.
⚓️Subject matter is heavy & at times discomforting, but so important.
⚓️Rich in details about emotional & psychological effects of political manipulation.
⚓️Exquisitely described settings/atmospheres.
Spiced hot cocoa & a book I‘ve 15 hours to start & finish! Let‘s go!
Follows a family who‘ve to make the ultimate sacrifice when they flee their Chinese home in order to fight for their survival. The author is Singaporean. The book is one of my most-anticipated reads of the year.
#diversebooks #burywhatwecannottake #chineselit
pickSet 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.
pickHeartbreaking sorry of a family torn apart in communist China, when the mother is forced to leave a child behind in order to cross the border to safety. Flawed characters making impossible choices in dire circumstances. This was a quick read. #AsianLitBingo #netgalley
pickFor some reason, I passed on reading Soy Sauce for Beginners when it came in 2014 which was strange for me because I have a “thing” for Asian literature. I just ran into Chen‘s second book, Bury What We Cannot Take, and I was completely absorbed in nine-year-old Sen Sen‘s story.
Next up!
Well, this was exciting! My first Kindle win!
Missed it completely. Luckily, Goodreads sent a follow up “What did you think?” email that alerted me!
so-soA well-built story about a family in mainland China trying to immigrate to Hong Kong intact. The story itself was intricate, compelling, and nuanced. However, I found the character development to be flat and lacking. Ultimately, the underdeveloped characters undermined the storyline. #netgalley
bailedIt‘s a harrowing story, set in China in 1957: a young boy reports his grandmother to the authorities for taking a hammer to a portrait of Chairman Mao. Unfortunately, the extremely weak characterization meant that, a fifth of the way in, I didn‘t care about anyone or anything that was happening. I shall not be continuing. Great cover, though.
This March 2018 release sounds pretty interesting! The cover's none too shabby either. ❤️
