A Fine Piece of Jade
Set in the years leading up to and during the Second Sino-Japanese War, also called the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and then the rise of Communism in China from 1935 to 1951, author Katy Phoon tells the story of two young girls brought together by events beyond their control, soon determined never to be separated. Yuányuán, the elder by two years, is the treasured youngest child of a man who dreamed of a new China for all. Wāng Qí is the youngest daughter of a judge on the side of the anti-Communist Kuomintang. As war looms, both families send their daughters away to a Catholic boarding school where they face years of isolation and near-starvation but find strength and comfort in the deep friendship between them, as well as the kindness and protection of the nuns who run the school.
Told in omniscient point of view, A Fine Piece of Jade deftly weaves together not only the events in the lives of Yuányuán and Wāng Qí over the decades but also vignettes from the past delivered in a folktale style, which provide clarity and context for the main plot. Through her straightforward prose and Yuányuán’s eternal optimism, Phoon manages to make what could have been very difficult subject matter palatable and intriguing, keeping readers turning the pages right up to the end. As Qí’s father said when he named her, the story is flawless like a fine piece of jade and a lovely tribute to the author’s mother, whose childhood inspired the character of Wāng Qí. Highly recommended.
