Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Lily is haunted by memoriesΓÇôof who she once was,and of a personlong gonewho defined her existence. She has nothing but time nowas she recounts the tale of Snow Flowerand asks the gods for forgiveness. In nineteenth-century Chinawhen wives and daughters were foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusionthe women in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code for communication: nu shu (ΓÇ£womenΓÇÖs writingΓÇ¥). Some girls were paired with laotongsΓÇ£old samesΓÇ¥ in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fansembroidered messages on handkerchiefsand composed storiesthereby reaching out of their isolation to share their hopesdreamsand accomplishments. With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shutheir friendship is sealed and they become ΓÇ£old samesΓÇ¥ at the tender age of seven. As the years passthrough famine and rebellionthey reflect upon their arranged marriageslonelinessand the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solacedeveloping a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arisestheir lifelong friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a brilliantly realistic journey back to an era of Chinese history that is as deeply moving as it is sorrowful. With the period detail and deep resonance of Memoirs of a Geishathis lyrical and emotionally charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human relationships: female friendship.