Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (novel)

Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China
by Jung Chang

This is a long, hard-hitting, jam-packed book which requires a serious amount of concentration and a good memory for unfamiliar names. The lack of dialogue compared to description is often difficult to read, but Chang is not a trained author, and what she lacks in technique, she makes up in powerful honesty and gripping description. If you can bring yourself to read her tale - much of which is disturbing, if not horrifying - then you will find yourself immersed in an incredibly intimate view of a world which nobody, with the exception of those who have lived through it, can truly understand.

Whilst it was particularly fascinating for me because I lived in China for a year, the lure of Chang's writing is in its universality. She draws in the reader and makes surprisingly few accusations, allowing you to draw your own conclusions. Her biggest triumph is not to be overly sentimental or to make any pretensions about her life or that of her mother or grandmother; Chang was comparatively lucky during these times, and she never says otherwise. Still, her transparent storytelling and steady flow offers openness and a surprising reality.

A must-read for anyone interested in modern history, China, the politics and reality of governing a huge country, or simply a heart-rending, yet calmly told, true story.