Bury What We Cannot Take

Originally posted on 5/29/19.

Author: Kristen Chen.

Genre: Historical fiction.

Year of Original Publication: 2018.

Page Number: 286.

First Line: "When San San followed her brother inside, she knew something was wrong."

Any Triggers? A minor character commits suicide, but it's not shown.

Summary: The story is set in motion when siblings San San and Ah Liam discover their grandmother smashing a framed portrait of Chairman Mao with a hammer. The brother, Ah Liam, fully believes in the values of the Communist Party, so he reports his grandmother to the authorities. Unbeknownst to the children the adults are setting a plan to escape the country into motion. But as a result of the report the family is under investigation and that adds a horrifying complication. When the mother goes to ask for visas for safe travel to Hong Kong, the government will only allow her to bring one of her children. The other must stay in China as proof of the family's intention to return. The mother chooses to leave her daughter behind, promising to find a way to shuttle her out later. But these are dark times in China, and reuniting the family will prove to be easier said than done.

My Thoughts: This is a historical fiction that feels like a thriller. The writer puts a lot of obstacles in the way of San San getting reunited with her family, which gives the story a lot of twists and turns. There's also a suspense element, because we're often given information that the characters don't know yet. This approach matches the time period in which the story is set. Reading this you get the sense that the Communist Revolution had just happened recently (I mean, the grandmother has bound feet, which is a pretty big tell) and everyone is trapped in the whirlwind that being in a culture in transition brings. On top of that all of the characters are being monitored by the government and by the community, and you get the sense that should the characters fail in their quest to reunite there will be a price paid. Mothers reading this will probably get a hernia.

Considering the subject matter there's a lot less harm to children than I thought there would be. I was half expecting that the daughter would be taken advantage of at some point, but it never happens. In fact, the book is fairly tame throughout. Dark things do happen but a lot of it is off page or implied. I would be comfortable recommending this book to a teenager open to exploring adult literature. The story switches between child and adult viewpoints and that makes it feel appropriate for an audience used to YA novels. I can picture myself having really loved this as a teenager.

While I did enjoy this story, I wouldn't say it's a favorite of mine. That has nothing to do with the quality of the book and more to do with my own tastes. Tight plotting and suspense are not really high priorities for me as a reader. What I look for is evocative, stylish writing and inventive storytelling. But as I said, there was a time in my life where I would have been really into this so I do see the appeal. Also, the moral of this story is "brothers ruin everything," which is a message I can get behind. (To my actual brother: I'm just kidding, you know I love you.)