Another weekend, another book review. How is lockdown life treating you? Have you picked up any new hobbies or skills with all this time? Recently, I’ve started taking some cuttings of plants and I am enjoying trying to learn a little bit about gardening. Sending all my best your way and hope that you are doing ok! Next book on the Beehive Book Club list is ‘How much of These Hills is Gold’ by C Pam Zhang. I wanted to recommend something that had just been released. This book was only published in April 2020 and is already making a name for itself; the San Francisco Chronicle said it is likely to be debut novel of the year.
Set during the American gold rush, our lead characters Lucy and Sam search not only for home, but also survival. In my ignorance, I did not know that Chinese Americans had a big role in the settling of the American West. This book not only taught me about the hidden history of this period, it brought it to life as it painted vivid stories full of pain and love. Not just with her style of writing, but also with how the chapters and sections of the book are laid out, C Pam Zhang has an incredibly unique and exciting way of storytelling. Using this, she creates complex and wonderfully deep characters that you connect to. Also, the book has a dark humour that brings you closer to the lives of these people.
In the cover of the book, there is a wonderfully written snippet about the life of the author, C Pam Zhang, who was “born in Beijing but mostly an artifact of the United States, C Pam Zhang has lived in thirteen cities across four countries and is still looking for home.” As you read ‘How much of These Hills is Gold’, you will definitely get a sense of searching for home. With lockdown restricting where we can travel, changing and dictating where we are staying and living, I wonder if anyone else has been questioning where home is for them.