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Three Souls by Janie Chang–468 pages
Book Blurb:
We have three souls, or so I’d been told. But only in death could I confirm this … So begins the haunting and captivating tale, set in 1935 China, of the ghost of a young woman named Leiyin, who watches her own funeral from above and wonders why she is being denied entry to the afterlife. Beside her are three souls—stern and scholarly yang; impulsive, romantic yin; and wise, shining hun—who will guide her toward understanding. She must, they tell her, make amends.
As Leiyin delves back in time with the three souls to review her life, she sees the spoiled and privileged teenager she once was, a girl who is concerned with her own desires while China is fractured by civil war and social upheaval. At a party, she meets Hanchin, a captivating left-wing poet and translator, and instantly falls in love with him.
When Leiyin defies her father to pursue Hanchin, she learns the harsh truth—that she is powerless over her fate. Her punishment for disobedience leads to exile, an unwanted marriage, a pregnancy, and, ultimately, her death. And when she discovers what she must do to be released from limbo into the afterlife, Leiyin realizes that the time for making amends is shorter than she thought.
My Review: 3 stars
I am definitely in the minority on my review of this book which shocked me because it was loaded with some of my favorite things to read about: China, Historical Fiction, Paranormal Activity and Sisters. For me, I wasn’t able to connect with the characters in a way that kept me glued to the story. I found the time period in Chinese history fascinating and the roles of women, of course, absurdly antiquated. The naivety of the main character was purposeful to the plot, yet I wanted to reach in and slap her. I wish the title characters, the Three Souls, played a bigger part in the book. Perhaps, however, the author had a different meaning with the title and was regarding the three sisters.
Quotes I liked:
You may lose all that you acquire, but knowledge and wisdom remain yours forever.”
– “Romantic love was fleeting compared to essentials such as a daughter’s security.”
– Until a beggar eats her fill she doesn’t realize how hungry she’s been all her life.”
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