I am so emotionally gutted by this book, wow!

The synopsis of this book doesn’t even touch the true beauty and pain of this story. We follow a family of three, separated by a natural disaster more than thirty years ago.

Xiaodeng was separated from her brother Xiaoda and their mother Yuanni when a devastating earthquake shook Tangshan, China. Now, as an adult, Xiaodeng has no memories from before her seventh year. She is a successful writer with a family who loves her, but she is dealing with deep seated trauma from that fateful event, trauma that she cannot find to heal. Her memories keep pushing to the surface every so often, but they never break free, leaving her feeling lost and alone, even in her happy, content life.

Xiaodeng and Yuanni are both dealing with wounds from the disaster, but they keep going. Young Xiaodeng is all Yuanni has left, believing her daughter was lost to her in the quake. We follow all three through various stages of their lives, as we jump between person to person, timeline to timeline.

I adored each of these characters, fully committed to their story. This book is fraught with heartbreak and triumph, bringing tears to my eyes multiple times. The desperation and longing was palpable. This is told in a very blunt and direct way, but it takes nothing from the story. On the contrary, it only heightens the tension and the emotional intensity.

What a stunning read!