REVIEW: Do Not Say We Have Nothing (Madeliene Thien)

Book: Do Not Say We Have Nothing

Author: Madeleine Thien

Premise: Ai-Ming has fled China in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests. She ends up staying with Marie and her mother in. Canada. As her relationship with Marie deepens, Ai-Ming tells the story of her family in revolutionary China, from the first days of Chairman Mao's ascent, to the events leading to the Tiananmen Square demonstrations.

I'm torn on this book. It was right up my street as a multi-generational story set in 20th century China. The story starts in the early days of Mao and covers the rest of the century, following two families as they struggle to survive. It was heartbreaking at points and I did learn a lot. I found the story a bit slow for the most part, so I found it hard to pick it up and read whole chapters. I also found it jarring when we jumped back to modern day. The story reaches a climax with the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. This was where the pacing sped up and I got really into the story, racing through the chapters. So a mixed bag. Not quite sure what to make of it.