This is not a happy story, rather a depressing one.

It’s a slow burner that goes around and around until we get to point of this novel. I enjoyed the somewhat character development of the main protagonist and how it was entwined with calligraphy. It was beautiful.

If you like books that have a misery theme from beginning to end, this one is for you.

Nonetheless it is important in the sense that educates people on the United States history of anti-Chinese violence and the Chinese Exclusion Act.