Our story begins in civil war-era Shanghai, where our protagonists meet for the first time at the tender age of 7. On one side, we have the enthusiastic, unruly, sweet, and active Suchi, and on the other, the calm and polite Haiwen. Music will bring them into each other's lives, and gradually a strong friendship will develop, which, as the years pass and they reach adulthood, will evolve into something more. In the background, the war is still present, knocking on their door and taking Haiwen away when he enlists in the nationalist army.
Decades will pass before their paths cross again, and things will be very different for each of them.
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To say that I loved this book would be an understatement.
It kept me hooked from beginning to end! The descriptions were fantastic, and I traveled with the heroes through every incident that occurred. I could smell the food of Shanghai and Taiwan, hear the lament of loss, and taste the bitterness of war.
The book contained so many historical elements about a story I was unfamiliar with, and it incredibly piqued my interest. It talks about the war between China and Japan, the civil war in China, and the shaping of Taiwan's identity after its colonization by Chinese soldiers.
At the same time, issues such as poverty, exploitation, refugeehood, and love that endures over time are addressed.
The introduction notes that the different names given to the same characters in the book (due to dialect or language in general) might be confusing, but I assure you that it is unlikely anyone will get confused, so don't let that scare you.
I don't know what else to say, it was truly wonderful and moved me deeply