The Third Son by Julie Wu.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for my Advance Reading Copy.
You had me at hello! When I sat down to write this review, those were the first words that came into my mind even though this book has nothing to do with Jerry Maguire. Cliche, I know but I read the first page and I was hooked. The Third Son is one of those rare, captivating, gorgeous stories that once you start, there is no stopping.
Saburo is the third son in a Taiwanese family. In that culture the third son garners little respect in the family hierarchy. His mother blames him for the death of the fourth son. He is denied schooling, clothing and even food in a family that can well afford all. In the opening scene, as a young child running from an air raid, he meets Yoshiko. He remembers it as the first time in his life he felt any kind of love. He knew no love of his parents or siblings all because he was the third son. His spoiled and arrogant oldest brother, the first son, is a bully. Given every advantage, his jealousy toward Saburo takes an evil turn. Saburo puts his nose to the grindstone and focuses on getting everything he desires from his life, including the girl, Yoshiko.
The Third Son is set in the 1940's and 1950's, a time of great turmoil in Taiwan which continues when Saburo moves to the United States for his education. One of the most powerful lessons of this novel is the cultural differences Saburo and Yoshiko faced in their lives. A scene that struck me was when Saburo finds himself in a bus station somewhere in the middle of the American plains and doesn't know which bathroom he should use, the white or the colored.
I have to add that I am crazy in love with reading books set in China or Japan. I love reading about their rich history and way of life that is so different from our own. This story expertly describes how disparate our lives can be. The Third Son magnificently blends what is good and bad in both parts of the world and what can happen when they meld together.
Thank you to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for my Advance Reading Copy.
You had me at hello! When I sat down to write this review, those were the first words that came into my mind even though this book has nothing to do with Jerry Maguire. Cliche, I know but I read the first page and I was hooked. The Third Son is one of those rare, captivating, gorgeous stories that once you start, there is no stopping.
Saburo is the third son in a Taiwanese family. In that culture the third son garners little respect in the family hierarchy. His mother blames him for the death of the fourth son. He is denied schooling, clothing and even food in a family that can well afford all. In the opening scene, as a young child running from an air raid, he meets Yoshiko. He remembers it as the first time in his life he felt any kind of love. He knew no love of his parents or siblings all because he was the third son. His spoiled and arrogant oldest brother, the first son, is a bully. Given every advantage, his jealousy toward Saburo takes an evil turn. Saburo puts his nose to the grindstone and focuses on getting everything he desires from his life, including the girl, Yoshiko.
The Third Son is set in the 1940's and 1950's, a time of great turmoil in Taiwan which continues when Saburo moves to the United States for his education. One of the most powerful lessons of this novel is the cultural differences Saburo and Yoshiko faced in their lives. A scene that struck me was when Saburo finds himself in a bus station somewhere in the middle of the American plains and doesn't know which bathroom he should use, the white or the colored.
I have to add that I am crazy in love with reading books set in China or Japan. I love reading about their rich history and way of life that is so different from our own. This story expertly describes how disparate our lives can be. The Third Son magnificently blends what is good and bad in both parts of the world and what can happen when they meld together.
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