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Lily is haunted by memories–of who
she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her
existence. She has nothing but time now, as she recounts the
tale of Snow Flower, and asks the gods for forgiveness.
In nineteenth-century China, when wives and daughters were
foot-bound and lived in almost total seclusion, the women
in one remote Hunan county developed their own secret code
for communication: nu shu (“women’s writing”).
Some girls were paired with laotongs, “old sames,”
in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They
painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs,
and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their isolation
to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
With the arrival of a silk fan on which Snow Flower has composed
for Lily a poem of introduction in nu shu, their friendship
is sealed and they become “old sames” at the tender
age of seven. As the years pass, through famine and rebellion,
they reflect upon their arranged marriages, loneliness, and
the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace,
developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when
a misunderstanding arises, their 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 Geisha, this lyrical and emotionally
charged novel delves into one of the most mysterious of human
relationships: female friendship.
Lisa See is the author
of Flower Net (an Edgar Award nominee), The Interior,
and Dragon Bones, as well as the critically acclaimed
memoir On Gold Mountain. The Organization of Chinese
American Women named her the 2001 National Woman of the Year.
She lives in Los Angeles.
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