A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei
When her husband dies suddenly, Irene Shen feels disconnected from her three grown up daughters. She decides on a whim to go on a tour of China with her daughters, sister and their elderly mum, a journey to heal and bond. Despite some scepticism they embark on this journey which ultimately opens a Pandora’s box of family history and secrets that have lain unspoken for years.
Each of the characters in this novel is well developed. You find yourself wanting to know more about them, what decisions they will take, what ultimately happens to them.
Nora, the eldest of Irene’s daughters is a successful and independent financial whiz in New York city. She has been fluctuating in her decision to commit to her long-term partner. Kay relocated to China soon after her father’s demise to immerse herself in the study of Chinese heritage and history; but the China she lands in is undergoing rapid changes, embracing the new free market economy and chasing tourist dollars. Kay feels at odds despite her noble efforts to reach out to the downtrodden. Sophie is the baby of the family and has always felt herself a subject of scrutiny. She wants to break free from her slim attractive siblings and start afresh in the West Coast.
Susan is Irene’s poet sister who spent many years drifting between various teaching jobs across the country and in and out of relationships. In her middle age she has settled with her husband in Hong Kong. She still doubts her decision to embrace stability.
Lin Yulan is turning eighty soon and currently lives with her son Lou in California. In her youth, Lin was a leader of the Nationalists and together with her young family was finally forced to leave the mainland for Taiwan under harrowing circumstances. She decided to move to America in her sixties and care for her grandchildren, leaving her husband.
This novel explores issues of racism and orientalist notions, especially preconceived ideas of oriental women as portrayed by the media and Western notions of exoticism and submissiveness. It is interesting to see how the new generation of women straddle the Western-Asian divide and this enjoyable story illustrates what is faced within many migrant communities today.
My favourite line of this novel is uttered by Kay’s astute observation.
“Societies evolve constantly, while the homeland, for the immigrants, is a fixed memory.”
That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam
Rebecca Stone is a first-time mother, feeling rather overwhelmed with motherhood. By chance she meets kind, gentle Priscilla; a black lady, single mum of a grown-up daughter, Cheryl. Priscilla is engaged as a nanny and the two women form a special bond. Rebecca has for the most part led a privileged life sheltered from the realities of racial inequality and has limited interaction with people of colour. She has to face the blind spots of her privilege.
When tragedy strikes Rebecca finds herself supporting Cheryl and caring for Priscilla’s baby, Andrew. Now she is the strong capable mum and it seems natural to both families that Rebecca and her husband Christopher adopt baby Andrew. But is Rebecca prepared to be the white mother to a black son, despite her love for both her sons?
This story has great potential but the characters are not well developed. Rebecca seems very naïve about how other families function- the drudgery of routines, the financial limitations, the constant demands of young children. She has very little insight into the challenges black people face.
‘She had never considered that being a white woman was, when weighed against being a black man, superior. That a judge would be more inclined toward her for simply this fact.’
Christopher is a caring husband; a traditional father and provider. In a misplaced career move he is implicated in a series of financial scandals There are links to terrorism but this is not elaborated.
There are other family members; Rebecca’s sisters, uncles and elderly parents but they don’t touch the reader as they are described only in passing.
The whole theme of racial discrimination is not explored in depth. There is a moment where Rebecca says, “Skin is skin”, and Cheryl counters, “Skin is not just skin”, but the argument peters out. In another conversation, Cheryl’s husband recounts an incident with the police, and tries to explain to Priscilla and Christopher that such incidents are to be expected as Andrew grows up.
Does Rebecca ultimately find the right balance between her role as a mother and her career both as poet and educator?
‘She didn’t want to be that kind of mother, the one who can’t stop talking about her children, can’t stop thinking about them. Surely there had to be another kind of mother for Rebecca to be.’
