What a great read and a wonderful refreshing storyline. I would highly recommend this book as it takes on universal themes of truth, how we live with our past, and how to move in a world that often doesn't make sense.

C.A. Davids has written a very ambitious novel, with three interwoven storylines. One following the life of a South African diplomate from her childhood in Apartheid South Africa, to her life in China concurrently with her meeting her Chinese neighbor Zhao, who lived through the horrors of Mao and witnessing the atrocities of Tiananmen Square. As their friendship blossoms, Beth is unexpectedly pulled into a political problem that Zhao feels compelled to release, as he is burdened with his knowledge of the past. This act of unburdening has ramifications for Beth, her diplomatic boss, and his wife Shan.

Alongside this narrative, we are also brought into a storyline about Langston Hughes and his travels in Asia in the 1930's. This storyline is also looking at truth, and how Black Americans were treated outside the US and in the US, and how we deal with a painful history.

Without giving too much away, I found the book easy to read, very interesting, and well written. Bravo!