Staff Pick: A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama
—A novel about an ordinary family at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution

“Tsukiyama’s close attention to detail and descriptive language paint a vivid picture of the daily life of Kai Ying and her family. Tsukiyama gently envelops the reader into the quiet sadness that permeates the entire household while weaving in the multiple hardships the family faces under communism. Strength of community; support and love of family, both natural and adopted; and the ability to heal and overcome loss are major themes within the moving novel.” —Booklist

“The tenderness [Tsukiyama] shows for her characters creates a sympathetic portrait of intellectuals trying to live honestly in the shadow of oppression.” —Publishers Weekly

“I was following this family almost as though it were my own and stayed all the way to the end of their story.” —All Things Considered, NPR