Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is the story of two girls in 19th century China who become laotong, or old sames, (basically life-long best friends with a bond that can not be destroyed) before they even meet. The girls, Lily and Snow Flower, communicate with a secret women's writing called nu shu, which they write in letters as well as on a single fan, upon which their story together is written. The book is written from the point of view of Lily, who is now an old woman, reflecting back upon her life.This book is amazing, heartbreaking, devastating, and beautiful. Lisa See paints an incredible and vivid picture of a very foreign world. Footbinding is described in shocking detail (and it's so much worse than I ever knew). Although nearly every element of the girls' lives are unfamiliar to me - daughters are worthless, valued only for the quality of the household they marry into, and this based in part on the size of their feet; many children die so women must perpetually be pregnant; marriages are arranged for teenagers who don't meet their spouse until years later and only live with them once they bear children, etc- I connected deeply with this book.
Ultimately this story is about two people who are lifelong friends until pride and sickness threaten to tear them apart. Despite the foreign setting, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is about very common themes. It reminded me in some ways of Water for Elephants - the protagonist at the end of his/her life, looking back on a strange world. I'm not sure which book I loved more. I was utterly fascinated by the customs of these people. The book is divided into chapters that signify certain periods of the girls' lives, like Hair Pinning Days and Rice-and-Salt Days. As they grow, we learn more about them and their people, as they become more aware themselves. I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
I enjoyed this book too... and like Water for Elephants, it was my interest in the historical aspect of it that really kept me intrigued. I love when a writer really researches their subject matter! Anyway, when I read this last year, I was also teaching World Lit, so I had my kids look into foot-binding. It made for a great discussion once they started making connections between that practice and some of our own, like pastic surgery.
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