Peach Blossom Spring is a book that delivers more than just a story in its pages. It is a historical fiction that tells the story of three generations spanning the Sino-Japanese war in 1930’s China to the present-day US. Family dynamics, migration, love, and loss are some of the many themes that feature in this satisfying read.
Synopsis
In 1938 the war with Japan forces Meilin and her family to flee their home in China in search of safety. Meilin and her son Renshu survive the war while searching for safety and a livelihood. Finally settling in Taiwan during the civil war Meilin grows to value the independence that she has gained since leaving her home and Renshu works hard to get an education that will make his mother proud.
As Renshu moves to the US for further education and eventually settles there, China is never far as his mother’s love and ghosts of the Chinese politics follow him there. After the birth of his daughter Lily, Renshu is forced to confront his past and make peace with it to understand the heritage that his daughter is searching for and that he is trying to evade.
What’s to like
The story is beautiful and causes one to reflect on life and how we move through it with time. The author writes about human emotions beautifully. Her characters are real. The life of a mother, a son, and a daughter through generations is intricately described.
The backdrop of war and civil conflict is informative for those who might not know much about Chinese history, and, like any historical fiction, it helps to imagine its consequences for the people affected by it.
What’s not to like
As the stories across generations grow it feels like the pace picks up considerably as compared with the first 1/3rd of the book.