The Immortal Woman is immensely powerful; It is so very moving and poignant in its focus on the mother-daughter relationship of the two protagonists as well as its discussion of nationalism, immigration, and cultural assimilation.
I enjoyed the writing style, with engaging dialogue that felt authentic and grounded.
Overall, this was an impactful story that needs to be share.

Thank you to Net Galley and the House of Anansi Press Inc. | House of Anansi Press for providing the opportunity to read and review e-ARC.

The Immortal Woman is a book that demands to be talked about. It’s one of those stories that lingers in your mind long after you turn the last page, leaving you unsettled, introspective, and maybe even a little emotionally wrecked.

At its core, this novel is a deeply layered exploration of identity, generational trauma, and the ideological tug-of-war between mother and daughter. Lemei and Lin couldn’t be more different—Lemei, shaped by the turbulence of China’s history, carries both the weight of her past and an evolving sense of nationalism, while Lin, desperate to sever ties with her heritage, throws herself into Western ideals, believing that erasure equals freedom. Their relationship is tense, raw, and painfully real.

Su Chang’s writing is brutal yet beautiful, weaving history, politics, and personal struggles together in a way that feels both intimate and universal. There’s no easy resolution here—just the complexity of being human, of searching for belonging in a world that constantly shifts beneath our feet.

This book hurt, but in the best way. It’s the kind of novel that forces you to question not just the characters’ choices, but your own views on home, identity, and the power of the past. If you love stories that challenge you, break you a little, and leave you thinking—this one is for you.

This multi-generational story weaves the personal stories of women with historical events and emphasizes the power of “the ghosts of the past.”

In 1960s Shanghai, Lemai reluctantly becomes a student Red Guard leader and eventually a journalist with a state newspaper. Events during the Tiananmen Square protests cause her to lose faith in her country so she raises her daughter Lin to aim for a life in the West. Years later, Lin arrives in North America but struggles with identity and finding her place in the world.

Mother-daughter relationships are a focus. The one between Lemai and Lin is certainly complicated. Because Lemai’s experiences as a young woman are detailed, we understand her motivations, especially in raising Lin to aspire for a life in the West. Because Lin’s experiences in the West are detailed, we understand her struggles: she wants to fulfill her mother’s dream but she has her own ambitions. What is impressive is that the author manages to elicit in the reader both sympathy for and frustration with both women.

It is Lin’s experiences with which I most identified. She identifies herself as “the executor of Ma’s Grand Plan” and “thanks to [her mother’s] years of gospel-like teaching,” Lin “spent her entire formative years admiring, romanticizing, worshipping those [white] faces.” In the West, however, she ends up unhappy and suffering from the equivalent of a colonial mentality with “a bruising inferiority complex, a decimated self.”

Lemai imagines a perfect life for her daughter, like the one she imagines for her friend Wei who left for the West years earlier: “She had imagined her lifestyle: lunches with American co-workers, shopping sprees at luxury brands, vacations on white-sand beaches by the undulating sea. . . . Lemai was sure her friend could switch between cultures effortlessly, like slipping in and out of different outfits.” Lemai believes the propagandizing about “the Melting Pot in action; ah, the harmonious coexistence; ah, the nation unparalleled in its embrace of immigrants.” Lin discovers the falsity of the American dream: because her appearance differentiates her, she cannot totally assimilate into Western society and encounters both overt and subtle racism.

I appreciated the balanced portrayal of both China and the West. We see the extreme nationalism in China where the government controls the media as a propaganda weapon, and closely monitors and oppresses its people. Though Lemai thinks of the West as a paradise, she is ill-informed. Wei’s life proves to be nothing like what Lemai imagined. A classmate of Lin’s comments, “’You turn on the TV every morning and see the clowns talking, the cults and fake gods, the obscene rich and abject poor, the school carnage . . . this is supposed to be the pinnacle of human civilization?’”

The novel focuses on women’s experiences. Men in both parts of the world do not emerge as admirable characters. Men in both China and the West abandon their wives and children. And they enjoy wielding power over women, some physically but many psychologically. Men are either cowardly or manipulative while women may be quieter but are definitely stronger.

Parts of the novel are dense with politics. My lack of knowledge about Chinese history meant that some sections were tedious and I struggled to understand. Fortunately, there is sufficient explanation that I didn’t get totally lost. There are also cultural references which I had to research: I was not familiar with terms like hukou, baijiu, iron rice bowl, and hanfu. On the other hand, I completely understood the commentary about American society, comments which I found particularly relevant because of current events.

This is a worthwhile read although readers should be forewarned about the novel’s serious tone. There are few light-hearted moments, though the ending, with its emphasis on proudly embracing one’s heritage, is satisfying. Su Chang is definitely a Canadian writer to follow.

Thank you Netgalley & House of Anansi Press for an eARC♥️


As I immersed myself in the poignant story of Lemei and Lin, I felt the delicate threads of their lives weaving themselves into my own heart♥️. This exquisitely crafted novel is a masterful exploration of the intricate tapestry that binds mothers and daughters, past and present, and the eternal quest for identity and freedom.
Lemei's journey, with all its brutal beauty and shattered dreams, resonated deeply within me. Her struggles to reconcile her past and present selves, to find solace in a world that seemed determined to silence her, spoke to the deepest, most vulnerable parts of my own soul.
And Lin, oh Lin, with her fierce determination to forge her own path, to shatter the expectations that threatened to suffocate her. Her story is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit, to the boundless potential that lies within us all.
As I turned the pages, I felt the weight of their struggles, the depth of their love, and the complexity of their relationships. The author's prose is like a gentle rain, soothing and calming, yet capable of unleashing torrents of emotion that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.
This novel is a love letter to the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, to the intricate dance of love and loyalty, of identity and belonging. It's a reminder that our stories, our dreams, and our struggles are the very fabric that binds us together, that makes us human.
As I closed the book, I felt a sense of awe, of reverence, for the beauty and brutality of Lemei and Lin's story. It's a tale that will haunt me, inspire me, and remind me of the transformative power of love and forgiveness.♥️

"Lemei, once a student Red Guard leader in 1960s Shanghai and a journalist at a state newspaper, was involved in a brutal act of violence during the Tiananmen Square protests and lost all hope for her country. Her daughter, Lin, is a student at an American university on a mission to become a true Westerner. She tirelessly erases her birth identity, abandons her Chinese suitor, and pursues a white lover, all the while haunted by the scars of her upbringing. Following China’s meteoric rise, Lemei is slowly dragged into a nationalistic perspective that stuns Lin. Their final confrontation results in tragic consequences, but ultimately, offers hope for a better future. By turns wry and lyrical, The Immortal Woman reminds us to hold tight to our humanity at any cost."

I thought the description sounded interesting, but I just could not get invested in this story. It was a slow burn for the entire book, and the way it jumped around, and was sectioned off alternating between the two women's voices, I kept forgetting which woman I was reading about, and it kept drawing me out of the story. Also, and this could be a trigger for some, but there was a really disturbing animal cruelty scene that turned my stomach. I really wanted to like this book, but this just wasn't the book for me.

The Immortal Woman by Su Chang is set from the 1960s to the 1990s. In this intergeneration historical fiction novel, our main characters Lemei and Lin as they move from China the US and Canada during this time period, and provides some great historical context along the way.
This book touches on some difficult themes such as sexual assault, political violence, racism, colorism and first generation immigrant/migrant experience and associated diaspora.

It was a challenging read, not only because of the topics covered, but also because the writing was as inconsistent in pacing and style. Most of the male characters are just deplorable. Given that this debut novel was a good read, providing some historical context I was not aware of and was a good exploration China for me.

Thank you House of Anansi Press Inc. | House of Anansi Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and read this book. All Opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 Stars
Print Pub Date Mar 04 2025

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Thanks to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc. for access to this title. I am auto-approved by the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Dear fellow readers, have you ever experienced conflicting feelings over a book?

Of course, you have!

I have had more than my share of books that " I want to like this, but I feel burdened by it. On the other hand, it was a great plot point or characterization. Then again, I'm relieved it's over."

The Immortal Woman finds me in quite a conundrum. The novel follows a mother-daughter through different decades in China, the U.S., and Canada. It explores
self-identity and belonging alongside historical moments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Through Lemei, we see China in the 1960's and her role as a Red Guard leader, and later, as a state journalist witnessing the brutal violence at the Tiananmen Square protests. In between these sections, we are with her daughter, Lin, now studying at an American university struggling with the clash of cultures between the world she came into and the new one she wishes to claim. Such important topics and characters were introduced, as I travelled through the years with these two women.
.
The writing flowed nicely but I did find that there were chapters I had to go back and read as there was always this cloud that I was missing something. Perhaps it was how the book was spliced up into several parts and we were flipping between the women's different experiences and points of view. It was truly a challenge.

I find myself wondering too " Is it because even though the author, who is Chinese-Canadian is trying hard to make a Canadian reader with a completely different set of ancestral stories understand the experience her characters are living, there are just some things that I am not going to be able to understand?'

Perhaps.

As interesting as the women characters were, the male character depictions were dark with not a lot of redeeming qualities. Lemei's brother and Lin's friend, Dali made me shudder and cringe every time they had space on the page.

Overall, I don't feel that I picked up on all the nuances that Su Chang needed me to pick up on. If I hesitate to recommend the title, it is only because it sounds silly to then ask another reader, "Could you please explain ________ so that I understand ______________." But in this case, I think it best to be 100% with all other readers, that it is, a "me" thing.

So, take my 2 stars as I am going to give it a try! Because I would still be interested in reading more of Su Chang's work.

I look forward to everyone's thoughts and discussions about the book.







#TheImmortalWoman #NetGalley.
Expected Publication 04/03/25
Goodreads Review 24/02/25

This book follows Lemie, a teenager in 1950s Shanghai who becomes a reluctant Red Guard Leader in her high school, policing her fellow classmates and ensuring everyone's fidelity to communism and the Chairman. Later she becomes a propagandist for a newspaper that essentially functions as a state mouthpiece, and then her life is ripped apart in the space of one year after she witnesses horrible violence at Tianamen Square and experiences great personal trauma and tragedy. We fast forward to her daughter Lin, who has gone to college in America to fulfill her mother's dream of her daughter living the American dream. The story is told mostly from the perspective of Lemei and Lin, with occasional interludes from other people in their lives.

This book is a pretty brutal read, involving relatively vivid and disturbing depictions of state violence, sexual assault, post-partum depression, racism, Sinophobia, colorism (both external and internalized), and other tough subjects. It's also really moving in its descriptions of what it's like to be a first-generation immigrant: the push and pull between your native country and where you end up, the disillusionment with both countries, the feeling of not belonging anywhere, disagreeing with your parent about your home country and your new country, etc. I found some parts of this book profound, but overall I was confused throughout much of the book and wished the book had more emotional resonance.

Thank you to NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc. for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Immortal Woman, a book about the generational struggles of a mother (Lemei) who lived through a politically volatile and traumatizing time in 1960-90s China, and daughter (Lin) who inherited the mother’s dream of America. But once in the US, Lin struggled to find her place and instead of finding a balance between her culture and that of her surroundings, throws it all away in a struggle to whiteness.

This story, in theory, sounds promising in its impact on the reader. Chang does a fantastic job describing the traumas Lemei experiences as a child and young adult and laying out the horrors of 1960s-80s China. Unfortunately the writing loses itself from there when shifting to the daughter’s life. From receiving unnecessary points of view of gross men, to long sets of static dialogue about politics, to weird descriptions of food, the book, like Lin, lost itself when it shifted to America.

I wish the author had expanded on some parts of Lin’s experience such as her slow learned appreciation for her culture, and focused less on her suitors politics and gross views on Lin. We miss the most important parts of Lin’s journey because we focus entirely on the wrong things and suddenly jump into entirely new scenes and developments, such as the ending that was unfortunately not worth struggling through the book. On top of this, the author tries so hard to make certain sentences poetic that it’s hard to understand what exactly is happening. Multiple times I’ve had to go back and reread items because we missed details or because it was hard to understand if there was a double entendre or just really uncomfortable and confusing description of food. This book had so much potential, especially with how personal and vivid some of the historical points read, but unfortunately wasn’t executed to let the readers feel that too.

A multi-timeline story about a mother and daughter and the painful realities of intergenerational trauma. I want to state that I did DNF this book at 73% after reaching Part Five.

Although I thought the plot and its historical setting were interesting, unfortunately the execution and writing was just not quite there for me. Immediately, I felt that the pacing of this book was erratic, which could be due to the mental state of both main POV characters, but took me out of the story. I was also often confused about what was happening and where we were, in part because the scenes would jump around so quickly with little to no transitions, but also because whenever there was dialogue there were no descriptive tags or action lines just lines and lines of dialogue. This made it very difficult to tell what was happening and to connect with the scene.

I was surprised by a few quite triggering events, and especially an SA scene that was written from the male POV. I think that the author was trying to incorporate nuance, but I personally did not think it was necessary to depict this from the man's POV. I was also quite uncomfortable with the use of the racial slur to refer to Japanese people. Although I understand that this was the type of language that was used in that time period, I think that for a book written now it was unnecessary to include this term so casually and with no acknowledgment that it is a slur.

While I had a lot of issues with the writing, I did find some of the passages quite beautiful, and although this one did not hit the mark for me I would definitely be willing to check out future works from the author.

60/100 or 3.0 stars

The synopsis made this story sound interesting, and I was hoping to enjoy this. The writing style flows well and I can definitely see trying another book by this author, but I did have to DNF at 20% after 70 pages. I could not get into the characters or the world. I might have liked it if I kept reading, but there is no point in continuing if I am not invested after 20% of the story. I can see how readers who love generational stories will like this, so there is hope that many people will like this and I'm in the minority on this one.

I really enjoyed The Immortal Woman by Su Chang—it’s a beautifully written story about identity, family, and what it means to belong. Lemei’s past as a Red Guard in 1960s Shanghai and her daughter Lin’s journey to find herself in the West are woven together in such a powerful way. The themes of embracing your roots and navigating discrimination really resonated with me, and I loved the authenticity of the dialogue. While the political commentary felt a little heavy at times, the emotional depth and cultural insight made it hard to put down. It’s a moving, thought-provoking read that stayed with me long after I finished.

I finished this book in one sitting - which is a rare thing for me to do! This book is a generational saga spanning the rise of the Communist Party in China in the 60s and 70s, the people’s rebellion in Tiananmen Square and subsequent massacre, the rise of pro-West sentimentality in China, then the second wave of the CCP and anti-Western sentiment. This is a lot of Chinese history to cover, especially at a time when American-Chinese relations struggle to speak without hostilities and prejudice on both sides. However, this book does a good job of balancing the narration of political life with the characterization of these three generations of women.

This story touches on many things such as the need to erase one’s ethnic diversity to fit into America, America’s blatant racism towards the Chinese people, and the struggle of the diaspora who attempt to erase their heritage. This book speaks a lot to the generational trauma and cycle of poverty, abuse, mental illness, isolation, abandonment, and fractured relationships that can occur in these instances. I also found the male characters in this book to be completely repugnant and horrible, the author has taken great pains to show not only the resiliency of women, but also the atrocities of men and the power they wield over women. There are not a lot of objectively “happy” moments in this book and sometimes it becomes overwhelming. But this work is saved by the fact that the quality of writing is rich and powerful and draws you in and captivates you in the story.

My thanks to NetGalley, House of Ansani Press, and the author for an electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review! I look forward to publication day and am excited to purchase my own copy!

~~ I received an ARC of The Immortal Woman from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~

The Immortal Woman tells the story of 2 Chinese women, a mother and daughter through their experiences of teenage live and different periods of their adulthood in the context of their identity. The story of Lin and Lemei looks at the Communist Revolution of China, Lemei's childhood and adulthood through the struggle sessions and decades of Mao's regime, the transitions between his successors and the realities of her life as an employee for a Shanghai newspaper.

Our other main character is her daughter, Lin, who arrives to the US through a university scholarship and goes through the motions of learning which parts of her identity to keep, what to shed/transform, and determining how to survive in the context of her mothers goals and dreams for her, her own ambitions and the reality of two very distinct cultures battling for her attention.

This isn't a particularly happy tale and there are a number of themes including immigration, political resistance, cultural identity and the struggles of being a woman, a mom, an employee and a citizen.

Chang's story is well-rounded and gives context and life to all of the characters that she introduces.

The Immortal Woman is immensely powerful; I'll start with that. It is so very moving and poignant in its focus on the mother-daughter relationship of the two protagonists as well as its discussion of nationalism, immigration, and cultural assimilation. I felt what was being conveyed in this novel in a guttural and heartfelt manner which is an amazing testament to Chang's gift of storytelling.

I think that as Westerners, we have this image of China as a very authoritarian state due to the actions of the government and current political ideology. Additionally, those who might be a bit more familiar with China's history see the Cultural Revolution as a time of great social upheaval where many innocents lost their lives and families due to nationalistic fervor.

And yes, that's all true but there's more nuance to the relationship between the Chinese government and its people than others may think. This book captures these nuances well as through the perspectives of all of the characters, Chang adequately depicts what it's to live in an environment of extreme nationalism and what it is like to be consumed by the same zeal yourself. She also shows the modern and cutting-edge side of China, juxtaposing it with its rural villages and thus showing the immense multitudes of such a vast country that is very much an emerging global leader yet stuck in tradition. Through her illustration of China, I felt that she rendered a multifaceted representation of the Chinese people.

Chang takes on a lot of the social issues in China such as the oppression enacted by the government on its citizens, damning influence of Eurocentric beauty standards, and culturally ingrained homophobia and classism. She did so with tact and nuance; the struggles that each of her characters faced feel very real and very relevant.

I'm always a sucker for books about the immigrant experience as I find myself pondering what my parents may have gone through in years past. The Immortal Woman, in its discussion of the Chinese immigrant experience in America, contributed to my understanding of this topic. Chang really did a masterclass in character development here as she showed the glamour and falsity of the American dream through the lives of her characters. We see how their experiences as Chinese immigrants in America change over the years spent there and how this affects their perception of China, their motherland. The feeling of being torn between nostalgia for your home and glittering ambition for a brighter future was so touching. The Immortal Woman exemplifies the tribulations of being an immigrant, specifically an immigrant woman and mother, in authentic clarity.

I also loved the mother-daughter relationship here. Lin and Lemei definitely have a very complicated relationship and it was written out in so much detail and crafted in such a way that I felt simultaneously sympathetic and angry at both characters. Reading the scenes in which they interact or think of each other was bittersweet and hit close to home personally. It was sweet to see them reconcile at the end and again, this really does show how trauma, political turmoil, and isolation can affect interpersonal relations.

The romance subplot was not my favorite, but I felt it was necessary to some extent in order to show the futility of the Chinese pursuit of whiteness. It was very much giving Oxford study vibes although I feel like the message could've had a more significant impact if her love interest was a white Canadian/American instead of a first-generation immigrant himself.

I also found Chang's writing style to be a bit clunky. Sometimes sentences would be too short and then too long, switching from brief descriptions to flowery prose all in the span of a paragraph. Some scenes and visualizations needed to be fleshed out a bit more, but overall, my reading of the book wasn't hampered by that and the narrative did flow nicely. The Immortal Woman is a pretty fast-paced book and there are a lot of huge time-skips interspersed between short chapters which are done decently and don't impede the course of the story that much. I would, however, have liked some clarification on what happened near the end of the book as we skip from Dali's death to Lin and Lemei moving back to China and becoming Internet sensations. This was very abrupt as their lives took a complete 180 in the turn of a page and some detail or clarification should've been offered in more depth.

Otherwise, the Immortal Woman is a great book and I would definitely recommend this! Chang did an good job here :)

compelling and impactful, well written, book about the effects and after effects of the maoist times, of a cycle of pain in family, and of the story repeating. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This novel examines the accumulation of history’s impact on Leimei and her daughter Lin, exploring how major Chinese historical events ripple through generations. It reminded me of Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien and the mother-daughter dynamics in Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Similarly, it weaves personal stories with accounts of major historical Chinese events over the past century, showing how these events shaped the present.

While I enjoyed the book overall, some sections felt a bit dry, particularly the political commentary woven into character dialogue. Additionally, the time and location jumps were occasionally jarring and confusing.

Leimei’s story, and even Wei’s side story, stood out as the most compelling. Their pasts clearly informed their behaviors and choices, creating layered and understandable characters. In contrast, Lin was harder to grasp; her motivations and issues often seemed disconnected from the context of the story, making her feel less developed.

The writing style was a highlight, with natural, engaging dialogue that felt authentic and grounded.

The book also explores themes of otherness and identity, particularly Chinese identity, in a nuanced way. It examines the shift in attitudes around cultural heritage—moving from assimilation as the perceived path to opportunity, to embracing one’s heritage as a point of pride. This evolution is captured thoughtfully, especially in the contrast between Lin and Dali’s experiences at university, where they face discrimination, and Lin’s later life, when cultural heritage becomes more celebrated. The author fleshes out this theme with clever examples throughout.

Overall, this is a well-written and thought-provoking book that skillfully blends history and identity.

Wow, this was quite the read. You can’t help but feel for the characters - the family starts in a difficult position, and attempts to make their lives better somehow seem to make things worse. In the context of real historical events, the way that this story plays out can only be described as horrifying. I’m thankful and privileged to not have experienced any5ing close to what Lemei and Lin dealt with.

This book is compelling, but a bit dense. There is a lot of politics at play, as the story takes place in the context of political events in China’s history. It was difficult at times to get through the story without being overwhelmed by my lack of understanding or background knowledge of these events.

If you get past that initial hurdle, you’ll find that this story is a devastating story about history repeating itself. You’ll see just how toxically one generation’s suffering can bleed into the next. You’ll see daughters losing themselves, even rejecting themselves, for the sake of their family. You’ll painfully follow along with generations of mistakes, wrongdoings, and resentment.

The beginning of the read is a bit confusing. The synopsis led me to believe that the main character is Lin. On the contrary, this story is as much Lemei’s as it is Lin’s. The first 30% of the book is entirely about Lemei’s life before she has Lin. It’s a lot of background to take it, but it’s all necessary to understand just how severely Lemei’s experiences will proceed to torment her daughter.

Overall, this was an impactful story - one that needs to be told. It is a heavy, dark, and emotional read. It’s not for everyone. However, if one of your reading objectives is to live and learn about others’ experiences, this book tells of one that is heart-wrenching and life-altering if you are courageous enough to experience it.

Su Chang was able to weave a generational story that I was hooked from the first page and glad it was so well done. The characters were everything that I was looking for and it worked with sharing a story going on. It was written well and had that overall story that I was looking for.