Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See
Asia is a part of the world that seems so foreign to me. So far away and remote, yet now I'm living here. I find myself picking up novels about this part of the world. I want to gain a better understanding of the people, their history and what has shaped them into who they are today.
This novel takes place in a remote area of China in the ninetieth-century. Through a young girl, named Lily, I learned so much about Chinese culture - foot binding, marriage contracts, the class system and overriding it all is the laotong friendship between two girls. Bound together through the foot binding process and strengthened in the years up to marriage, two girls share life's most difficult moments. While apart, the girls communicate in the only language read and understood by only women, nu shu. My heart rose and fell with the life of Lily as I gained a perspective on what life in China used to be, not so long ago.
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