A Hundred Flowers

Title: A Hundred Flowers

Author: Gail Tsukiyama

St. Martin's Press New York, 2012

288 pages

Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.
--Mao Tse-Tung, 1956

Another book from Big Bad Wolf Books, a hardcover version of A Hundred Flowers written by Gail Tsukiyama, with only IDR 60K.  Tsukiyama is an American novelist. She was born in San Francisco to a Japanese father and a Chinese mother. 

This is a novel based on China history. The setting was 1957 when Chairman Mao declared a new openness in China. Lots intellectuals fearing that it was a trap, Kai Ying's husband, Sheng, a teacher was arrested for writing a letter criticising the Communist Party. He was sent to a labor camp to be "reeducated."

A year later, seven-year-old Tao is climbing to the top of the huge kapok tea in front of their home in order to find his father but his foot slips into the air, sending him tumbling thirty feet to the courtyard below which finally makes his mother and grandpa panic. 

This is a story of Tao, his father, Sheng, his mother, Kai Ying, and his grandfather, Wei. The story was told by different characters in the 3rd person. The author paid close attention to details and descriptive language that in the end painting a vivid picture of the daily life of Kai Ying and her family.

The author's tenderness in delivering the story make it easy to become involved in the story. An intimate look of how a family suffered through a cultural revolution. 

I guess I need to find other books written by Tsukiyama. I just love her writing style. Unputdownable.