"Some might call this a lie; others, magic. What’s truth, anyway? Truth is like water, assuming the shape of whatever it flows into."

The story of Phoenix now in Canada, plus another story of younger Phoenix and her mother Rain in China, plus young Rain and her sister before everything... was unexpected, touching, and beautiful.

"That gray, sunless afternoon taught her something the school never had: for everything she wanted, there would be something else she had to give up, as the price."

I wasn't sure about an Asian contemporary novel, but this was a historical drama fiction set in brutal times!

"Don’t people always love the things they hate?"

Thank you Amazon Crossing via NetGalley for DRC. As this book has already been published, I listened to the audio version of it and have given my honest review.

The story of Phoenix (daughter) and Rain (mother) is a messy one, but by the end of the tale's telling you realize in full the depth, breadth and sacrifice that stands there in that story. Fiction it may be, but one knows given the place and time, there were many in real life who experienced something similar along the edges of these particular waters. . .

Of these two women, one is at the final gate - ready to go but with a number of loose ends she cannot articulate specifics or convey her inmost hopes; she lapses in and out of her disease with the regularity of cycling tides. The other woman stands on a cliff edge in her life, ready to toss away all, disappointed and frustration-filled. Her next move changes everything.

Life is messy, full up with reasons to freeze in place - better a messy known than a terrifying unknown. This story speaks directly to such choices.

*A sincere thank you to Zhang Ling, AmazonCrossing, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #WhereWatersMeet #NetGalley

In one way this is a well-worn theme. A parent dies and child discovers clues to that parent’s past and sets out on a quest to uncover long-held secrets. And this is indeed what happens in this novel. Now settled in Canada, Phoenix and her mother Rain left China many years before, and Rain has revealed very little about her life there. She and Phoenix have never been apart, not even after Phoenix’s marriage to George already in her fifties. When Rain dies, Phoenix finds an old suitcase containing two old photographs and a small bottle. After talking to her Aunt Mei, still in China, she determines to visit and find out all that she doesn’t know about her mother’s past. Bit by bit, story by story, in a slow reveal, we discover Rain’s history during tumultuous events in 20th century China, one woman’s experiences through often cataclysmic times. I found the novel compelling indeed, and was surprised to find when I came to post my thoughts how many negatives reviews there are. Often, even if I don’t agree with a negative review, I can see why the reader felt that way, but on this occasion I simply can’t. I thought the book was brilliantly written, a complex narrative but one over which the author had complete control, well-paced and well-executed, a novel to savour and be immersed in. A great read.

This dual timeline book is set in both Toronto and China and explores a daughter’s discovery of her mother’s past after her death.

It speaks of a fraught time in history and discusses a place and period that I am not overly familiar with. I enjoyed learning more about this historical time, but I feel that my prior lack of knowledge also impacted my enjoyment of the book.

The brutality of war and the concept of “comfort women” is a major theme in this book, and I am equal parts horrified by and empathetic towards Phoenix’s mother.

At times, I felt the storyline was a bit drawn out and it was difficult to keep going, but again, I think it was largely due to my minimal knowledge.

The ending seemed a bit abrupt to me, and I would have loved to see a glimpse of Phoenix’s life with George after her return to Canada.

Regardless, the idea of how far a mother’s love extends is present throughout Zhang’s writing.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a solid book about self discovery and a journey of understanding of others. there's not much to say, as it was a quick read for me, and had good development.

I loved the context of this book, but the multiple timelines and POVs threw me a bit, I lost the thread of the story.

This is a heart-wrenching and emotional story of mothers and daughters, love, and family secrets that kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

Where Waters Meet is a beautifully written and moving novel about a Chinese-Canadian woman who travels to China to uncover the secrets of her mother's past. The story is full of family drama, love, loss, and survival, and it will stay with you after you finish reading it. The characters were relatable and I'd recommend it, especially to anyone who's enjoyed books by Lisa See.

Where Waters Meet is a story of a daughter seeking the truth to her mother’s life after her mother has passed away. Rain left Phoenix with a lot of questions and the only way to get the answers was to go back to China where her mother was from and dig up answers. In the process Phoenix learns how hard of a life her mother had and how hard she fought to make sure she could give her daughter a better life. This is a book that reminds us that not everyone is an open book, because sometimes those stories are just too hard to tell and are better buried.

While I enjoyed the book, some parts felt slow. Overall, it was a good (but tough) read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review this book.

Phoenix Yuan -whyller's mother Rain always lived with her, even after she moved to Toronto. Phoneix got married to George a widower at the 50’s. The love story is not as innocence to portray, a matured way of affection towards each. Later, she moved with him along with her mother Rain aka (Chunyu). Rain’s unexpected death at the age of 83 leaves heartstrending separation. With a loss of grief, she finds her mothers memory box that she bought back home. She opens to find things that posses old photographs and decorative light bottle with sand. Her Auntie Mei is the only person who can untangle the missing pieces of the early life her mother Rain. She travels to Shanghai to meet her Auntie Mie. Talking to her Auntie Mei, Phoenix sends manuscripts of her story of her parents , childhood and environment that she raised in to husband George who is in Canada.

Rain has lived through war, oppression and misery. The time period of World War II, Hong Kong and Shanghai that separates from the Mainland of china. Rain tried to live her heartbreak incident through war and to ensure for the better life of her daughter.

An absorbing story that’s a masterpiece of plot, historical context, cultural significance and non chronological order of the character mainly Phoneix and Rain’s histories.

An interesting story that writer never misses to give more of Chinese history.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of where waters meet. Zhang ling is such a fantastic writer, I did struggle with this book but in a different way. The loss of a parent hits hard.

3.5 rounded up.
Heartwrenching story of daughters journey to find out about her mom. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Where Waters Meet is an intricate story of family and relationships, especially between mothers and daughters. The lyrical writing kept me engaged, but I will admit, I was not prepared for how bleak and depressing the subject matter would be.

What I did love about this book was the detailed look into the life of a Chinese family from the Chinese Civil War/Revolution all the way through their immigration to Canada. I enjoyed learning about another culture and the trials and tribulations they faced while simply trying to survive.

The story unfolds in reverse order, and the reader gets chunks of time, which took a little bit to adjust to.

I liked this book and will read more by this author.

I really enjoyed Where Waters Meet. Other reviews focus too much on the confusion of the time jumps and not enough on Zhang Ling's story and character development. Phoenix and Rain's relationship is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and I believe only a mother or daughter can truly understand the power of these characters. My heart hurts for them in the best way possible.

I agree the time jumps in Phoenix's manuscript are confusing; however, her emails to George explaining the timeline are as efficient a guide as can be. I do believe the time jumps, albeit confusing, do allow the biggest gut punches of the book to happen in the last 1/3 or so of the story, which is where they are most impactful. (I won't spoil but sat I am thinking of the true origin of Phoenix's parents' relationship.)

This is the kind of story that takes you years back into the life and the stories and experiences of a woman from the perspective of her daughter after she passes away.
If you love such kind of stories, this could be worth your time.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

The prose is solid, and the historical storyline is captivating. However, the current trend of multiple narrators is annoying enough. Add to it an epistolary format, and I am completely turned off. It feels gimicky and disjointed and breaks both the flow and the emotion of the account. Frustrating.

Thank you to Zhang Ling, Amazon Crossing, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I reviewed this book for the Asian Review of Books and really enjoyed it! This is just an excerpt from my review: "It’s the story of Phoenix and George that gives the novel its strong backbone. Widower George meets Phoenix when she takes her mother to see an audiologist, who turns out to be George. When the two start to date, Phoenix makes it clear that her mother is part of the package; George is accepting. He was a Vietnam War draft dodger who ended up in Canada after leaving his home and family in the US. He’s also extremely supportive of Phoenix and becomes her confidant when she needs to turn to someone to deal with her own trauma from her childhood and early adult years in China."

You can check their website for a more thorough review. That said, the multigenerational story has done before, but I found Zhang Ling's novel to be unique and engaging. I hope the author will write more in English and am grateful for Amazon Crossing for acquiring so many great books in translation and stories in English like this one. It's truly a gem of a novel!

"Where Waters Meet" by Zhang Ling (张翎) is a beautiful, heartbreaking story of resilience and a strong family bond. This is Ling's first novel written in English, despite her having written several best-selling novels in Chinese, among them "A Single Swallow", also published by @AmazonPublishing , as well as "Aftershock", the novella at the basis of the blockbuster 2010 movie, which happens to be one of my favorite movies.

The novel follows Phoenix (Yuan Feng) and her mother Rain (Chunyu), both Chinese women now living in Canada. With a unique structure, both a manuscript within a novel, as well as in small part e-mail correspondence, the story sets off with Rain's death and Phoenix's search for her mother's past. This search sends Phoenix on an incredible journey back to China, and back in time, both reliving her childhood at the onset of the Cultural Revolution, as well as facing her mother's youth during the Second Sino-Japanese war.

This novel was very heartfelt for me. I genuinely had a hard time putting it down. If I had to choose a favorite character timeline, I really wouldn't be able to, as I was captivated by both. There's a very good blend of historical information and storytelling. The writing uses a lot of figurative language that creates vivid imagery.

This is one of my favorite books that I have read so far this year. I highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction and fans of books focused on mother- daughter relationships. It will not disappoint!

Thank you to Zhang Ling for bringing this story to life, and thank you to @otrpr and @AmazonPublishing for my gifted review copy of "Where Waters Meet." All opinions are my own.

Heart wrenching story on so many fronts. Being married into an Asian family, I have heard similar stories as Where Waters Meet but from the person that experienced it, even still, I never get used to it. The heartbreak, loneliness, willing to do shameful deeds to save your life. Zhang Ling’s story had my Apple Watch alerting me several times that my heart rate had risen to over 100bpm while reading this book.

I downloaded and read an advance reading copy from NetGalley & the publisher. I decided to download it, having wanting to read an Asian author during AAPI Heritage month.
It tells the story of Yuan/Phoenix (Nix), a Chinese immigrant to Toronto, dealing with the death of her 83-year old mother Rain.
Living together the majority of Nix's life, until moving to an assisted living facility in her later years, Rain died with some secrets. Nix discovers a box with old photographs and a bottle of dried liquid. She contacts her aunt, who won't discuss it over the phone.
So - Nix travels back to her birthplace, Wenzhou, China, to find out more about her mother's past, with stories told by her aunt guiding her mission.
The narrative bounces back and forth between past and present, and although Aunt Mei knows a lot, she doesn't know everything. The reader is transported to Rain's childhood in revolutionary China and the fallout that occurs.
Very heartrending and illuminating. The writer's prose is delicate and very descriptive. It's hard to believe it's her first novel in English.