I've been reading this one for a couple of weeks- it is a slow read, but I found it to be a beautiful coming of age story. Full of layers and symbolism, Headley does a masterful job weaving cartography into the novel. There is a scene between Terra and a young girl in a Chinese orphanage that is so moving. I saw a lot of my teenage-self in Terra. Justina Chen Headley is someone to keep on your radar.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
I've been reading this one for a couple of weeks- it is a slow read, but I found it to be a beautiful coming of age story. Full of layers and symbolism, Headley does a masterful job weaving cartography into the novel. There is a scene between Terra and a young girl in a Chinese orphanage that is so moving. I saw a lot of my teenage-self in Terra. Justina Chen Headley is someone to keep on your radar.
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I don't know about this one -- I found the characters to be a little trite. I found the father and the emotional/verbal abuse to be superficial and unrealistic... especially the end. I find it hard to believe that the mother just stopped being afraid of him. I have issues when authors gloss over such insidious issues. I loved most of the scenes in China but the family dynamics just didn't ring true to me.
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