Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Type: Novel
Genre: Fiction
Series: No
Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:
Two girls are bound together with laotong "old same" which matches them emotionally at their foot bindings. Snow Flower sends Lily a fan with a message in the language of women that will bind them, "I understand there is a girl of good character and women's learning in your home. You and I are of the same year and the same day. Could we not be same together?" (p.5) With this message on a silk fan they become bound on the journey to adulthood. In 19th century China the road to becoming a woman is not an easy one.

"When I knew I couldn't suffer another moment of pain, and tears fell on my bloody bindings, my mother spoke softly into my ear, encouraging me to go one more hour, one more day, one more week, reminding me of the rewards I would have if I carried on a little longer. In this way, she taught me how to endure--not just the physical trials of footbinding and childbearing  but the more torturous pain of the heart, mind, and soul. She was also pointing out my defects and teaching me how to use them to my benefit. In our country, we call this type of mother love teng ai. My son has told me that in men's writing it is composed of two characters. The first means pain; the second means love. That is a mother's love." (p. 3-4)

One is headed up and one is headed down. Lily is from a poor family but she is married into the Lu family a wealthy family and Snow Flower from a well to do family, who ruins themselves is married below her birth status. They become great friends as children but one has a secret she is hiding from the other that will end up pulling them apart. Once Lily is married she is to return home until she is with child and she is surprised and upset by the way they treat her.

"My mother wanted to examine my private parts, but I denied her this, pleading embarrassment. My aunt inquired about bed business, but I turned away from her, pretending I was too shy. My father tried to hold my hand, but I implied that now I was a married woman this kind of affection was no longer appropriate. Elder Brother sought my company to laugh and share stories; I told him he should do these things with his wife. Second Brother saw my face and kept his distance; I did nothing to change that, suggesting modestly that when he had a wife of his own he would understand. Only Uncle--with his baffled look and nervous hopping--elicited an sympathy from me, but I confided nothing." (p. 135)

As the story progresses Lily distances her self from more and more people. She feels sorry for Snow Flower but does not understand her happiness. She is lost in her own world and even the secret bond between Snow Flower and Lily is stressed.

Feelings:
I enjoyed this book. I didn't like how things progressed near the end. But it reflected reality and the changes an individuals goes through in their life. I really liked the characters and the story line. Reading about footbinding in China from the perspective of an old woman remembering how she felt when she was young and her mother was breaking her bones and creating a new character and personality from the experience. It illuminates the difference between the past and today in ways that one can only understand from connecting with a believable character. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is beautifully written and the fan which they pass back and forth is described in detail and the language of women flowers. The story is like a flower it blooms with beauty and wilts slowly with the end of the season. I would suggest this book to those interested in 19th century Chinese culture who do not want to read a history book but want to connect with a person. This is a book about women, and the women's world, the male world is foreign to the characters in here. I think this is better suited to the female reader. It is an easy read that is enjoyable to the end.