Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See -- Book Review

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a novel about the lives of women in nineteenth century China. The novel is in the form of a fictional memoir, written by Lily. Lily is the second daughter of a farming family. Her family is not very prosperous, but they are prosperous enough that Lily and her sisters have their feet bound and spend their time in the women's quarters of the house.

Lily is set to begin having her feet bound at age six, when her fortunes change. The Diviner who has been hired to determine the proper date to begin the binding sees something special in Lily, and calls in Madame Wang--a matchmaker. Madame Wang suggests that Lily's family should wait a year to begin the footbinding, and that in the interim, Lily should be "mated" with a laotong (lifelong, contracted, female friend) or "old same". A girl whose horoscope and prospects are propitious is found; her name is Snow Flower. Snow Flower begins their relationship by sending Lily a fan, on which she has composed a message in nu shu (women's writing.)

Through the lens of Lily's memoir of her friendship with Snow Flower, the reader is taken on a journey to a time and place distinctly "other". Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is interesting on many levels. The explorations of women's writing, footbinding, and everyday life in nineteenth century China are seamlessly woven into the story of the friendship between Lily and Snow Flower. I have read other novels set in historical China, but this one gives a more intimate glimpse into the lives of the women who lived at Lily & Snow Flower's level of social standing. Other novels I've read dealt with footbinding, but this one does much more explain how footbinding affected the lives of those who engaged in the practice. Other novels also include women's secret writing as a theme, but this one is much more detailed and descriptive of its use and development. Finally, the growth of Lily in wisdom throughout the novel is a powerfully eloquent piece of writing.

Lisa See has written four other books that I will certainly be looking for. Here's a link to her website:
http://www.lisasee.com/