Like spilled water

After her grandmother informs her that her brother has died, Na rushes back from trade school to her home town to support her parents. Her brother had been the family's hope for a better life. All he had to do was pass the gaokao (the National Higher Education Entrance Exam), enter university, and become an engineer, doctor, or other high-prestige professional. But he didn't pass and, in despair, poisoned himself. Na feels that she must save her parents from destitution, even forsaking her own studies to marry someone who is more friend than boyfriend. But as she prepares to sacrifice for her family, she uncovers secrets that challenge her parents' story of how her brother died. Liu (Girls on the Line 2018) leads the reader in an exploration of the pressures placed upon young Chinese people in an age when accelerated economic growth collides with tradition. She shows how young Chinese women are expected to aid their families through marriage, while young men must excel in academics no matter the personal cost. Liu is careful never to judge overtly. Instead, she invites compassion rather than derision for the young women and men caught in a system that ruthlessly categorizes them. Liu has penned a powerful tale of a brave young woman who dares to question when others simply accept.

Na's life at her vocational college in China ends when she has to go home and support her family. Nineteen-year-old Na barely knows her parents, who work year-round in the city of Taiyuan. Even her younger brother, Bao-bao, became a stranger after joining their parents in the city to study for the National Higher Education Entrance Exam. Na's modest freedom at vocational college ends when Bao-bao dies and she returns to live with her parents. As Na adjusts to being an only child, she looks through her brother's possessions and begins to realize Bao-bao wasn't the dedicated, high-achieving student she envied, and she has questions about the circumstances surrounding his death. Na's feelings of jealousy regarding male favoritism and her limited future options inspire sympathy. She filters detailed depictions of filial piety, funeral rites, grief, romantic relationships, and parental support through a modern teenager's perspective. While the depiction of traditional Chinese sayings and expectations, their impact on Na, and her limited awareness of mental health might be jarring to some Western readers, Na is likewise puzzled by the characters in Jane Eyre and their individual freedoms. Na's character-driven story arc is stealthily subversive. The multigenerational cast is all Chinese. Will lead readers through a quiet revolution. (author's note, discussion topics) (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.