"Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend."
-Mao Tse-Tung, China, 1956
This quote was seemingly the cause of a lot of trouble for political dissidents, including the family featured in this novel. Near the beginning, the father, Sheng, is accused of writing a letter of criticism to the government, arrested and sent far away to a labor camp for "reeducation." The plot involves how his wife, son and father deal with this trauma over a period of several months. There are a few other nonfamily characters who are affected, as well. Ms. Tsukiyama does a fine job of developing her very likeable characters. I found myself wanting to read on because I cared about them and wanted them to find happiness. One of the minor characters says toward the end of the book, "Sometimes the best lessons are in the journey, regardless of the outcome." Very profound, I think.
This is a new author for me and I will definitely read more of her work. A Hundred Flowers was a delightful novel, set in a time and place unfamiliar to me so it was a learning experience, too. I would rate the novel a 4.
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