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A review by beckym
A Single Swallow by Ling Zhang
4.0
A beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking story about three men connected by one woman in the Japanese occupation of China in World War II.
It begins with a promise by three men at a lakeside on the night when the Japanese surrendered - a promise to meet back at Yuehu Lake when they died. A promise kept by all three, though the first one to die, Pastor Billy, had a very long wait for the others to join him. Liu Zhaohu, a young soldier during the war, is the next one to return to the lakeside. Finally, seventy years after Billy returns, gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson unites the three of them once more. However, they want to do more than just share memories of the war. They each want to know the others’ memories and experiences with the girl that connects them together.
This girl is, to Liu Zhaohu, Ah Yan - meaning ‘swallow’. She is also Stella to Billy. To Ian, she is Wende - ‘wind’. Each name has been given with love and admiration, and each man loved her in their own way.
As they recount the war, we also learn of Ah Yan’s life, and all the tragedy and heartbreak and horrific things she experienced. But then also the way that she survived and built a life for herself.
I loved this story so much. It has all the feels. I had some issues with it, namely:
— that one chapter told from the perspective of two dogs in love (whaaaat was that?)
— the fact that during the time all three men knew Ah Yan, she was only fourteen to sixteen years old. We don’t really find out how they actually felt about her until near the end, but it’s implied earlier on. I know this has a historical setting that is factual, but I felt so uncomfortable with her being so young and the men having feelings towards her.
— we only get the perspective of the three men, and yet I never really felt that I had gotten to know them. I felt most for Liu Zhaohu, but even then I didn’t feel much towards him either.
The book is primarily about Ah Yan, yet we don’t hear directly from her. It’s an interesting device used, in that we learn her story, and feel so much for her, yet never hear from her directly. I suppose it’s because so much of her life was basically directed by the males around her, until later on. Her life is shaped by them. Yet we also see her inner strength and her achievements that stemmed from that.
It’s a really beautiful story, and the writing is wonderful. I like that it centres around Ah Yan rather than just the men and the war, and I like that we’re given insight into the lives of the villagers during the war too. It really shows how affected everybody was by WWII, not only the soldiers on the front line.
I’m happy I was able to read this (thanks to Amazon First Reads), and I enjoyed it immensely. Definitely a novel that will give you much to mull over, and give a barrage of emotions at the same time. A lovely read!
It begins with a promise by three men at a lakeside on the night when the Japanese surrendered - a promise to meet back at Yuehu Lake when they died. A promise kept by all three, though the first one to die, Pastor Billy, had a very long wait for the others to join him. Liu Zhaohu, a young soldier during the war, is the next one to return to the lakeside. Finally, seventy years after Billy returns, gunner’s mate Ian Ferguson unites the three of them once more. However, they want to do more than just share memories of the war. They each want to know the others’ memories and experiences with the girl that connects them together.
This girl is, to Liu Zhaohu, Ah Yan - meaning ‘swallow’. She is also Stella to Billy. To Ian, she is Wende - ‘wind’. Each name has been given with love and admiration, and each man loved her in their own way.
As they recount the war, we also learn of Ah Yan’s life, and all the tragedy and heartbreak and horrific things she experienced. But then also the way that she survived and built a life for herself.
I loved this story so much. It has all the feels. I had some issues with it, namely:
— that one chapter told from the perspective of two dogs in love (whaaaat was that?)
— the fact that during the time all three men knew Ah Yan, she was only fourteen to sixteen years old. We don’t really find out how they actually felt about her until near the end, but it’s implied earlier on. I know this has a historical setting that is factual, but I felt so uncomfortable with her being so young and the men having feelings towards her.
— we only get the perspective of the three men, and yet I never really felt that I had gotten to know them. I felt most for Liu Zhaohu, but even then I didn’t feel much towards him either.
The book is primarily about Ah Yan, yet we don’t hear directly from her. It’s an interesting device used, in that we learn her story, and feel so much for her, yet never hear from her directly. I suppose it’s because so much of her life was basically directed by the males around her, until later on. Her life is shaped by them. Yet we also see her inner strength and her achievements that stemmed from that.
It’s a really beautiful story, and the writing is wonderful. I like that it centres around Ah Yan rather than just the men and the war, and I like that we’re given insight into the lives of the villagers during the war too. It really shows how affected everybody was by WWII, not only the soldiers on the front line.
I’m happy I was able to read this (thanks to Amazon First Reads), and I enjoyed it immensely. Definitely a novel that will give you much to mull over, and give a barrage of emotions at the same time. A lovely read!